


Just a Charming Bastard

by anxious_alien



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Klaus and Elijah are ghosts for right now but will periodically appear, Klaus has a son and he's just a little bit evil and power hungry, what else could you expect, will add other characters as I go on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-10-18 21:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17589161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxious_alien/pseuds/anxious_alien
Summary: Powerful, charming, cunning, devilishly handsome (his own words), a royal pain in the ass (his half-brother's words). There are just a few of the things that describe the sandy haired boy with the mischievous glint in his eye. Samael is a witch destined for greatness in his coven. He can't wait to trigger his werewolf curse, in a way, because that will only make him stronger. But when a chain reaction of tragedy strikes his family, he and his brother Avery are left with nowhere to turn but the Salvatore Boarding School. Supposedly, it has answers for Sam about his heritage. Sam, being himself, just sees it as yet another opportunity to conquer something. Screw finding out who his real father is, right? He'd run this school within a week, if that damned Hope Mikaelson would stay out of his way.--Or, Hayley wasn't the only person Klaus knocked up before discovering he could procreate. Meet Klaus Mikaelson's unknown arrogant son on his insatiable quest for greatness.





	1. Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> Because while I was working on my Hope AU, I asked myself "What would it look like if we changed even more things?" And this is me finding out.
> 
> Aside from the backstory, this is going to mostly take place a few months after the conclusion of The Originals. I'm toying with the idea of resurrection as well, but I can't decide how I'd want that to play out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever It Takes-Imagine Dragons

****

Vanessa Abbott’s sister was giving her that ‘you’re absolutely insane’ look again, and it was probably justified. Here she was, twenty-one, in a complete state of panic, pregnant with her second child, and convinced that she had been knocked up by the one and only original hybrid.

“It just can’t happen.” Lenora insisted. “He’s a vampire. Surely there was someone else? Anyone else? _Please_ tell me you got black out drunk five months ago or something. Come on, we all know you. It’s not that far outside the realm of possibility that there was someone else.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes, mildly insulted. But her sister wasn’t totally unjustified in what she was implying. Vanessa was rather free-spirited at times. But no, that month had been a bit of a dry spell for her, until a certain hybrid rolled through town. And yes, she’d heard the stories, and yes, she knew exactly what kind of guy he was. But she did love the bad boys, and just…the danger of it all. She couldn’t be faulted for that, right? There’s only so much charm a witch can resist. And Klaus Mikaelson might be all the things in the stories witches tell their children at night to scare them, but he was definitely charming.

“There was no one else.” She sighed. She looked at her first child, who would be a only a year old next month—yes, there are spells to prevent accidents like these, and no, Vanessa had never cared enough to use them—and felt a small wave of guilt. Avery’s father had been a deadbeat, and it appeared her taste in men had not improved in the slightest.

“Well, are you going to contact him?” Lenora asked. That was a laughable idea.

“Would you?” Vanessa asked, “I think this kid might be better off with an absentee father in this case, and I don’t want to put Avery at risk either.”

“I'm kind of worried this child’s existence alone puts us all at risk regardless.” Lenora said solemnly. Vanessa hated that she might be right. But Lenore did not interfere. Vanessa had made up her mind about keeping the child, hence waiting until she was finally starting to show before she told Lenora. This late in the game, she knew her sister would be less likely to suggest terminating the pregnancy.

Four months later, Samael Abbott was born into the world in a small town in rural Virginia. Unbeknownst to his mother and her sister at the time, merely two months earlier his half-sister was born in New Orleans.

* * *

 

Sam—or Sammy, as his brother and _absolutely_ _no one else_ called him—was gifted when it came to magic. Anyone besides his mother and aunt simply saw it as a blessing. He made great strides at an early age, surpassing Avery simply in terms of raw power. People marveled at the things he could do, and he enjoyed the attention. Sam, with his sandy blonde hair and aqua eyes, quickly became favored as a prodigy in the community…even if he did have a reputation for having a short temper and occasionally a mischievous nature. They wondered why Vanessa would give such an angelic-looking little boy a name that translates to, well…. _poison of god._ She’d given him the name of an angel of death.

It’s true that Vanessa loved her second son. She really did. But she was wary of him from the start. She had admittedly given him the name to remind herself that there might be something sinister behind those bright eyes. She reminded herself that someday she might learn that she’d made a mistake, and would be forced to rectify it. Within months, her worries about her child only increased. She’d heard rumors by the time he was a few months old, of a baby in New Orleans with the same father. But tragically—or thankfully, depending on whom you ask—that baby had died. They had all heard of the destruction in New Orleans in the months that let up to that child’s birth. The witches in her coven would whisper about it, saying surely it was no coincidence and that it was a good thing that the child had perished. It felt like such a terrible thing to say, but perhaps they were right?

Still, she would look into her son’s eyes and see nothing but innocence. Even when he occasionally used his magic for unsavory things like trying to fill another child’s lungs with water when they took a toy from him in preschool. The child lived, thank goodness, but that was the first clue as to just how far her son’s temper would stretch. But when she sat him down and explained right and wrong and why he should ask for help from an adult before taking matters into his own hands, he seemed to understand. Even Lenora, whom had been the most apprehensive about this child’s existence, tried to calm Vanessa’s fears.

“Kids don’t understand what they’re doing at that age, Vanessa.” She reasoned, “I know, it doesn’t help that he comes from a family with an _anger_ problem, and he’s an untriggered wolf to boot, but he just needs a little extra help understanding what we can and can’t do to others.”

The werewolf curse was another fear they had. They’d had to explain to him at least part of his heritage, when he started to display agility that surpassed other preschoolers. There was also the matter of his healing from injuries within a matter of hours. He would skin his knee on the playground in the morning and by mid-afternoon, there would be no trace of the injury. Vanessa and Lenora knew these things must be related to his father’s vampiric nature. It had to be. Untriggered werewolves were physically gifted but not _that_ gifted.

They told Sam that he was a werewolf, one who had not yet activated his curse and hopefully never would so long as he was careful and managed his temper. Sam did not know any werewolves, and did not know what was normal or not normal for an untriggered wolf, so he accepted his mother’s explanation for his strange abilities easily enough. He was told to downplay his abilities, so as not to scare the other children.

 Sam was five when they told him this.

By the time he was ten though, he became more intrigued with the idea. Why did they want to prevent him from being a werewolf? Sure, transforming and breaking every single bone in your body sounded terrifying, but even though he was already strong and fast, he kind of wanted more.

He’d confided in Avery about this several times, and Avery had quickly admonished him for even considering it.

“You’d have to _kill_ someone, Sammy.” He said, “You know you can't just do that.”

They were sitting on top of some monkey bars on the playground down the street when he brought it up yet again. Avery was lazily using a spell he’d come up with simply to spin a merry-go-round nearby. Avery had a knack for creating spells, and already had an impressive grimoire of his own, even at eleven. Sam’s magic seemed to be more powerful, but even he had to admit Avery was the prodigy when it came to actual knowledge and application of the craft. Sam, being an opportunist, usually just saw fit to copy Avery’s spells if he needed anything.

Sam didn’t understand what the big deal was. “I’ve already thought it out. I’ll find a bad guy, and kill him. I’d be doing the world a favor.” Avery did not seem to approve of this solution, so Sam decided to let the matter drop for the time being. It was no use getting into an argument for the hundredth time.

He hung upside down from the bars by his knees. He tried to push the merry-go-round in the other direction. One could be more precise with spells and enchantments, and yield better results. But even with his unrefined magic, he still managed to bring the merry-go-round to a standstill and then send it haltingly in the other direction.

“ _Stop it_.” Avery snapped, concentrating harder. Sam laughed and released the hold all at once, causing the merry-go-round to spin wildly suddenly. Avery flicked his hand, sending the piece of equipment to a screeching halt. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know.”

Avery was Sam’s best friend though. Avery was probably his only real friend, to be perfectly honest. They did everything together. He hated when they’d argue and inevitably stop speaking for a day. Then Sam would be forced to seek out other kids to entertain him and a few hours of that absolute torture usually forced him to return home and apologize for whatever stupid thing he’d done. Because, to be honest, their fights were usually his own fault.

Other kids were…okay, but Sam found them annoying. He was a likable enough kid, charismatic and charming, but only as long as he needed something from someone. He was friendly with a few kids in the coven because he saw the importance of having other people to rely on if he needed anything. It was mutually beneficial, in his mind. They enjoyed whatever small amount of favor he showed them, even at a young age, because he was quite known for being gifted and it was already rumored that he could be a powerful leader in the coven someday. Those kids’ parents weren’t stupid. They encouraged their children to be nice to him.

The only downside to Avery was that he did not buy into all of the crap the coven said about Sam. On Sam’s worse days, he would chalk it up to envy and would accuse Avery of being jealous of him. But he knew that wasn’t exactly true at all, deep down.

Avery didn’t particularly care about the coven, because he knew that the coven hadn’t particularly cared about their mother until Samael began to show potential. Before that, they’d treated her and her children like dirt. Its true Vanessa was definitely a black sheep, and having two children out of wedlock by two different men was frowned upon by most of society, but she was still a wonderful mother. Not to mention, a perfectly good witch when she actually wanted to be.

 _That’s_ why he often scorned any interest Sam had in the coven. He felt they didn’t deserve his family’s attention.

They walked home that evening, while Sam still pondered the werewolf curse and the implications it would have if he triggered it. It was still an exciting notion, even if he’d have to kill someone. To be the most powerful witch in the coven someday _and_ a werewolf? In his ten year old mind, he was convinced he would be unstoppable. He had no idea the chain of events he would set off when he did eventually trigger the curse.

 


	2. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Control-Halsey

The summer of Sam’s thirteenth birthday was when his life took a drastic turn. 

He’d actually literally turned thirteen just that past week in July. Now the coven leaders had really started to take an interest him and actually wanted him to start working on controlling his power and remembering spells and all the technical and boring things that go into being a witch. That's what they told him anyway. 

The attention was less thrilling now. It was all business. While one of the elders, Abram, droned on and on, Sam would often find himself counting the minutes until he could be free of this absolute torture. It was mind-numbing boredom. Maybe Avery had a point after all about not bothering to invest time in the coven. Avery was probably at home, still blissfully asleep in his bed.

“Sam? Samael? Are you even paying attention?” the old man said sharply. Sam snapped back to reality. It was always an Elder overseeing his lessons, and the lessons seemed tedious to be quiet honest. Most of the things they had Sam do were fairly easy.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” He muttered. He looked at the candles and intricate symbols drawn from lines of salt on the ground between them.

“Repeat the words.” Abram commanded. Sam fought the urge to make a rude remark. He hadn’t signed up for having someone telling him what to do all the time. “Try to find your aunt, for starters.”

It was a locator spell that was honestly simple enough. But Abram insisted that he needed to work on his ability to focus.

Within a moment of chanting, he was able to catch snippets of visions of his aunt, in her kitchen making a pot of coffee. He reiterated this to Abram, who seemed relatively pleased with how easily Sam had accomplished this.

“Are we done now?” Sam blurted out, unable to contain his impatience much longer.

“Nearly.” Abram said patiently, “Let’s try a target farther away."

Abram handed Sam a photograph of a man with a name written on the back.

“Who is this?” Sam asked, frowning.

“His name is Quill. It hardly matters. A witch who chose the wrong side. We’ve been trying to find him for a while and we think perhaps with your power, we’ll be more successful. You remember that business with the Hollow a few years ago?”

Sam nodded, even though that was a bit of a lie. He had been six or seven when that took place. He’d only heard that some of the coven had left, choosing to side with the Hollow. They claimed it was better than dying, which they were certain was the fate that awaited anyone who did not join. Most had died in the battle in New Orleans against it. He remembered how worried his mother and aunt had been, but he didn’t understand why. They'd even talked about his aunt possibly taking him out of the country for a while.

“Try the spell again. Let me know when you’ve found him.”

Sam did as instructed. Bored already, he closed his eyes and started the chant once more. This took a little more effort though. He had a connection to his aunt, so that had been child’s play. Finding a complete stranger based on a name and a photo was a little different. Finally, images began to flash in his mind. The man in his home, the name of a city in Wisconsin, an address.

“I got him.” Sam said. Could he go home and go back to bed now?

“Excellent work. Give me your hands.”

Sam held back a groan and held out his hands. When Abram grasped his hands, he already felt him channeling his magic. Rude to do so without asking, and it hardly seemed necessary. Abram started the chant as well, seeing the man for himself. Sam focused in on the man’s location once more so that Abram could hopefully get the information he needed and let Sam go for the day.

He noticed the man start to have trouble breathing. He watched with growing anxiety as the stranger began to clutch his throat. “Abram? Hey, I think something’s wrong.”

When Abram didn’t reply, Sam suddenly noticed he was not chanting the same word anymore. The spell had changed.

In his mind’s eye, he watched the stranger fall to the ground, dead.

“Hey!” Sam jerked his hands back, “What the hell was that?” The flames on the candles surged as he spoke, and Abram looked around, relatively nervous. He must have forgotten exactly how powerful Sam could be when he felt like it.

“He had to die, Samael. He betrayed our coven. He betrayed all of the witches.”

“Yeah? And you didn’t feel the need to share your motives with me?” Sam got to his feet, blood boiling. Not only was he angry, he was a little worried. Did that count as triggering the curse? Sure, he’d talked a lot about wanting to do so anyway but…to have the choice stripped away was another matter. Not that Abram knew what he was. No one outside his family did.

“Samael.” Abram spoke slowly, “Don’t do anything rash.”

He knew of Sam’s temper. Everyone did.

If Sam’s curse was going to be triggered, he wanted it to be on his terms. Not because he was being used as a battery pack to kill someone he didn’t even know.

The choice was clear. It made perfect sense at the time. When he looked back, he would agonize over how stupid and reckless this was. It would alter his family’s lives completely. But there was no going back now.

“You used me.” Sam said angrily, “You used my power for your own gain. You were supposed to be helping me.”

“I am!” Abram said quickly, “I am. I only needed to accomplish this task. The others insisted it would be easier with your help, and we weren't sure if you'd be willing to do it on your own. This is what it means to lead, Sam. Sometimes you have to make these decisions."

Sam threw him across the room. The man struggled to get to his feet and find the words for a spell to use but with one swift flick of Sam’s wrist, his neck snapped.

It felt like the world froze for a second. At first, he was triumphant. That would show them all to think twice before messing with him. But then he looked at the Dlder’s lifeless body, and the mess of salt and candles littering the room. He couldn’t quite believe he’d done this. But there was no one else here, no one else to blame.

If the curse hadn’t been activated before, it surely would now.

When time began to resume again and when he finally realized the gravity of the situation he raced home. He’d always been fast, but now he realized he was even faster. He hardly broke a sweat as he burst through the front door of his house.

“Avery?” He called out. He didn’t receive a reply and ran to his brother’s room. Avery was still asleep in bed. “Wake up. Avery, get up!”

His older brother grumbled something incoherent and pulled the blanket over his head. Sam ripped the blanket away. Avery swore loudly. “What do you _want_?”

“We have to go. We have to leave right now, where’s mom? Where’s Aunt Len?”

“Dude, Sammy, calm down.” He said sleepily. He sat up, taking far more time than Sam would like right now. “What’s going on?”

“We have to go.” Sam repeated. “I did something. It’s something bad this time. Really, really bad.”

He took note of the panic on Sam’s face and the urgency in his voice. Maybe something really was wrong.

“Mom’s at work.” He said, “Aunt Len is at her house.”

“I’m gonna call mom, and tell her to get to Len’s house. We’ll meet her there.”

“Do you plan on telling me what’s going on?”

“Just trust me. I’ll tell everyone once we’re all together. Get dressed.”

How long would they have? How long until the other elders discovered Abram’s dead body in his home? They met almost daily. They would know he was missing some time soon.

He called his mother next and begged her to leave work right away and go to his aunt’s house.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Please mom, there’s no time.” He insisted. “I love you.”

“I love you too, honey. Calm down, alright? I’ll be there soon.”

Okay. Yeah. Things would be fine. He would tell everyone what was going on and then they could get out of here. Or he could leave on his own. Maybe he should just do that anyway, while Avery was still getting ready. He quickly expelled that thought from his mind though. He was not that self-sacrificing. He couldn’t imagine going out on his own without any of them.

Finally, Avery was dressed, and they set off on foot to their aunt’s house, about three blocks away. He tried to calm himself. Surely it would be a while longer before anyone realized what he’d done. They would have time. Everyone would be safe if he just kept calm and didn’t do anything else stupid.

It was hard to keep Avery’s painfully human pace now as Sam’s activated werewolf powers desperately wanted him to move faster, but they managed to get to Lenora’s house quickly enough. She opened the door and saw the fear on Sam’s face. She quickly ushered the boys inside and closed the door. There, while they waited for their mother, Sam explained what had happened.

“I’m sorry. I just…I snapped.” Sam said helplessly. “They don’t care at all about training me to lead. They’re just using my power.”

Avery graciously elected to refrain from saying _I told you so._ Now was clearly not the time.

“It’s okay.” He said instead. “No one liked that asshole anyway, Sammy.”

“It’s not okay! They’re going to be looking for revenge. We have to get out of here.”

“So we will.” Aunt Lenora said, “When your mom comes, we’re out of here. I’ve been itching to get away from that coven for a long time anyway.”

“You don’t think I’m a monster? I killed someone. Possibly two people. I’m not sure which one triggered the curse.”

“Sam, your werewolf nature is a big reason for your temper and your impulsiveness. We’d hoped to avoid it but we always knew it was a possibility. You’re not a monster. A monster wouldn’t be this upset about taking a life.”

He hoped she was right.

“Mom is taking too long. She should be here by now.” Avery said suddenly. He was right. They’d called her before they’d even left their house, it had been long enough for her to leave work and drive here. She worked at a restaurant just a few minutes away. With it being an emergency, she wouldn’t have waited for permission. Vanessa was the type to act first and apologize later.

Sam felt a sudden weight in his jeans pocket. He reached in and pulled out  a folded piece of paper. Shaking, he carefully unfolded it and read the message

_Samael:_

_Vanessa Abbott is dead. Turn yourself in and no one else has to die._

_The Elder Council_

“No.” he whispered. “ _NO!_ ”

At his anger, the note burst into flames and he let it fall to the ground as it burned up.

“We have to go.” Avery said calmly, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder. How could anyone be so calm right now.

“I’ll kill them all. They had no right.”

“You will. _We_ will. But they’re going to be here soon and we need to get out of here until we have a better plan. It’s not safe here.” Avery always had a good head when under pressure. Really, the coven should have been looking at him as a future leader instead.

They’d certainly come to wish they had, if Sam ever had his way.

Lenora went to her room and came back out with a small locked metal box. “Let’s go. There’s a safe house your mother and I put protective spells on years ago, but it’s a few hours away.”

Avery and Sam looked at each other in confusion. This was the first they’d ever heard of a safe house. They followed Lenora out to the car and she tore out of the driveway and sped down the street. She had Avery start a cloaking spell, and Sam began to repeat the chant to strengthen its power.

They drove for hours, barely even speaking. At some point or another, each of them broke into tears over the loss of Vanessa. Sam was glad to be sitting in the backseat by himself, because several hours went by before he could stop the tears from coming. He finally fell asleep, and when he woke late in the evening, they’d reached their destination. It was a small two-bedroom cabin deep in the mountains. He wasn’t even sure what state they were in anymore.

“We’re in Maine.” Lenora said, “They won’t find us here. This place has been heavily cloaked. You can only see it if you're in our bloodline.”

“How long have you had this place?” Avery asked as they all stepped inside. It looked like it hadn’t seen people in years. “And…why?”

“Ten years or so.” Lenora replied, offering no further explanations. “There’s a small town about a half hour away. We can get some things from there. But there’s bags in the pack of the car to get us through a couple of days.”

Avery and Sam both looked at her incredulously. Out in the car, they found a bag packed with two changes of clothes for each of them, even Vanessa apparently, another bag of toiletries, household supplies and a first aid kit, and yet another bag full of nonperishable food. She'd kept all of this in the car, presumably updating the clothes as the boys grew, for god only knows how long. In the lockbox Lenora had brought, was a stack of cash. Even more cash was located in a safe in the cabin itself.

What the hell had they been planning for?

Lenora did not answer their questions. She kept insisting it was a matter for another day, and they all needed rest. Tomorrow they could find a nice spot to put up a memorial to their mother, and then they could work on making this their home for the time being. The full moon was three weeks away, and Sam barely slept as he thought for the first time about what awaited him on that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how I picture Avery is pretty much Noah Centineo in case anyone cares to know. Here's some quality Noah gifs to illustrate.  
> [One.](https://66.media.tumblr.com/d51868b3cbcb5b3417b1d54e6ff65742/tumblr_pe2uei4paH1v2wd85o1_400.gif)  
> [Two.](https://66.media.tumblr.com/e900de4eb1f89b5a4e9ff1cb16bc17d7/tumblr_pe2uei4paH1v2wd85o2_r1_400.gif)  
> [Three.](https://66.media.tumblr.com/77298c91487c7bae9536d5f54831fdae/tumblr_pe7ai4I8DN1u1nn64o1_540.gif)  
> [Four.](https://66.media.tumblr.com/630d906297e12ae2f5eaf6e5bc349a22/tumblr_pe31g1KY2t1vpbtm2o1_500.gif)
> 
> But I can't for the life of me find a good fit for Samael. :/


	3. King of the Clouds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> King of the Clouds-Panic! At The Disco

~~~~Over the years growing up, Avery had devised his own barrier spell to keep Sam contained when he was being particularly annoying. It was a personal favorite that always infuriated Sam because he had no way of breaking it, no matter how hard he tried.

Knowing next to nothing about werewolves and how to keep them from going on inevitable killing sprees, they had to make do. The Appalachian Trail was really not that far away, and plenty of people camped along it.

The spell was pretty simple to do. It was specifically for Sam, and specifically resistant to any counter-spells Sam would use. It would last as long as Avery decided it would last, and he could set the barriers wherever he liked. Tonight, a couple of miles from their cabin, he chose a square of four trees. He walked between the trees with a bag of rock salt, creating the perimeter, while chanting under his breath. It was a little more difficult without physical walls to attach the spell to, but this would do just fine.

Sam stood in the middle, looking up at the sky as it grew ever darker. Lenora had tried to accompany them but Avery and Sam were adamant about doing this alone. Really, they just didn’t want to chance anyone else dying.

Three weeks had gone by, and it still hurt to think of their mother. They still couldn’t look at the memorial they’d made for her. It was getting easier though. They were having longer stretches of time where they weren’t suddenly reminded that she was gone. There were still some days that Sam was angry that the world hadn’t immediately burned up when their mother died, and some days that Avery didn’t want to get out of bed. There were some days when their aunt would go out in the woods and just stay for hours at a time. But those days weren’t happening quite as much in the past week. In a way, anticipation of the full moon was a welcome distraction.

Finally, Avery was satisfied with the spell. “Okay, try to leave.”

Sam ran full speed at the barrier and was knocked backwards the moment he reached it. He bounced off the invisible shield and landed on his backside. “Works.” He mumbled.

“You could have just tried to reach a hand through or something.” Avery sighed.

“Excuse me for wanting to be sure.” Sam retorted. It felt good though, to just bicker with his brother after the ordeal they’d had. “You should leave, I guess. I’m gonna wolf out soon.”

“I’m safe behind the barrier.”

“Avery, don’t.”

“Someone’s going to have to stay to keep some stupid camper or hiker from investigating if you start howling at the moon or whatever you mutts do.”

Perhaps he had a point. Still, even with limited knowledge, he knew the transformation would be unbearable painful. He wasn’t really thrilled with anyone witnessing him in hours of agony.

The forest grew darker as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. As the moon rose, his ankle snapping was the first indication. He hissed in pain.

“Avery, go.” He said through gritted teeth as he started to feel another bone snap, and another.

“I’m _staying_. If only to watch you suffer for all the times you’ve plagiarized my spells.” Avery attempted to joke, but he struggled to keep his voice light as he watched Sam’s transformation carry on.

Sam couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out a scream that sounded more like a roar. He collapsed onto the ground, tensing his body in expectation of each wave of excruciating pain.

It felt like hours. He had no idea how much time passed until the pain finally ended. His consciousness was hard to hang on to now. He noticed Avery now, and something inside him wanted to attack. And then suddenly every fiber of him wanted to attack. He lunged on all fours but hit the barrier, and was thrown backwards.

Avery watched as the wolf lunged at him again and again. His idiot brother was going to spend his first night as a wolf with a concussion at this rate. He got up and retreated farther into the darkness, hoping to be “out of sight, out of mind.” He had to stay close though. If anyone were to happen by the area, there was nothing preventing them from crossing the barrier spell that contained Sam. He’d have to modify it before the next full moon.

By the time morning came, he’d nodded off. He was startled awake by his brother’s impatient screaming.

“Get your ass back here and give me my clothes.” Sam yelled. Avery contemplated leaving him there, but decided that would be perhaps a little too cruel. He walked back over to where Sam stood covering himself with a shredded t-shirt.

“I thought you stripped down to your boxers last night before you changed?”

“I guess the wolf got bored.” He said with a grimace. “I didn’t think to throw this outside of the barrier.” Avery picked up a backpack that was leaning just out of reach and tossed it to him. At least he’d been prepared for something like this.

“Yeah, turns out you’re even dumber as a dog, just so you’re aware.”

“I’m aware.” Sam said suddenly. “I mean…I remember. Most of it. But it’s like I wasn’t me sometimes.”

While Sam awkwardly put on underwear and a pair of shorts,  Avery took down the barrier spell.

“I hear something.” Sam said suddenly. “Someone’s coming this way.”

Avery strained, but he couldn’t hear anything. It wasn’t until he saw the couple walking through the trees that he could hear their conversation.

“Well, I just don’t understand why we’re hiking the Appalachian trail when you won’t even stay on the bloody trail. This is how people get lost and die.” The woman griped in a British accent. A dark-skinned man holding her hand laughed.

“I’m pretty sure we’re the safest things in these woods, Rebekah.”

“Not safe from getting lost, that’s for damn sure.”

The stopped when they realized they’d encountered the two boys. Avery looked at his brother, who was half dressed and covered in mud and grass and leaves, and then looked at the line of salt he had yet to clean up. This definitely didn’t look good.

“Hi. We were just…” Sam trailed off unhelpfully.

The strangers took a moment to access the situation before them.

“Let me guess.” The man said, “Baby werewolf, helpful witch friend?”

“Oh, he wouldn’t be caught dead calling me his friend.” Sam laughed. “But good guess.”

Avery glared at him, willing him to _shut up._ “We were just leaving.” He said quickly.

“Relax.” The man said with a friendly smile, “We’re just taking a walk. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“I told Marcel here the morning after a full moon was a risky one.”

“First transformation?” the man, Marcel, asked Sam.

He nodded. “Hurts like a bitch. Wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll get easier. A friend told me it’s better if you just let the pain in. Don’t fight it next time. You’ll turn a lot faster and get it over with.”

“Thanks.” Sam brightened. “I’ll keep that in mind.” It struck Avery how scary it must have been to go through this with no one experienced to help him. They were flying totally blind.

Rebekah looked at him curiously. “Have we met before?”

Before anyone could respond, they all noticed a patch of wild flowers at the base of a tree suddenly shrivel up and die. Avery and Sam looked at each other, both seeking explanation.

“Oh for the love of god.” The woman exclaimed in irritation. “He’s stalking Elijah again.”

She pulled out her phone and frowned, muttering about “no bloody signal.”

“I guess that means we should go. Gotta get somewhere with cell service.” He said to us. “Come on, we’ll head back the way we came.”

He took her hand, and they were gone in a blink.

“Vampires.” Sam said. “I just got werewolf advice from a vampire.”

“Come on wolf boy, let’s go home and get some sleep.”

* * *

 

The following month’s full moon was even more bizarre though. Not because of what happened, but because of what didn’t. They did everything exactly as before, and then waited for Sam’s transformation. It never came.

“I’m still…I’m still a werewolf, right?” Sam asked uncertainly. It was now about 4am. They’d been there all night and he was still as human as ever.

At sunrise, Avery took down the barrier again. And Sam tested his wolf abilities by leaping straight up into a large oak tree and then scaling as high as he could. Then, just to show off, he jumped from the impossible height and landed gracefully on the ground again. “Well I can still do that.”

They went back to the cabin and consulted their aunt about the strange discovery. She bit her lip, looking nervous, and finally looked like she came to a decision on what to say. The boys didn’t know it was not exactly the truth.

“There’s a chance your father was able to control his transformations. It’s…it’s happened in wolves before. I’ve heard there’s a whole pack in the south that can. The ability must have been passed on to you, Sam.”

“I can transform whenever I want?” Sam asked with sudden excited interest.

“Oh, here we go.” Avery muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the worst habit of accidentally changing from 3rd person to 1st person (and vice versa) because my fics vary in which perspective I use. If anyone ever notices please let me know so I can fix it!


	4. Natural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natural-Imagine Dragons

Avery didn’t think Sam should transform again by himself. He kept going on about how it was too dangerous, and someone could stumble upon Sam in wolf form, and they could end up getting hurt or worse. But Sam didn’t _want_ his older brother around to babysit him while he figured this out. Other werewolves sure didn’t require that much assistance.

Sam ignored his brother’s apprehensions as he set off into the woods a week later to test the theory that he could change at will. He’d waited until night time, when his brother and aunt were sound asleep before he crept out of the cabin. He didn’t want to be talked out of it—again. They both had a bad habit of doing that. It was exhausting.

All he could think about was getting control of his wolf form. If he could do that, he could enact the next part of his plan, which involved finally getting revenge on the coven. Mostly by way of slaughtering every last one of them for what they had done.

Apparently the anger issues hadn’t exactly subsided with the werewolf curse being triggered.

After running a considerable distance away, he scaled a tree and hung a backpack with fresh clothes up high enough that hopefully his wolf side would not get to it this time. He’d already flipped through Avery’s grimoire—maybe he really should consider keeping one of his own—and found a simple enough barrier spell that could be taken down from the inside by the witch casting it. But as he looked down at the crumpled piece of paper he’d copied the incantation onto, he started to wonder if he even needed it. There was no one else out here probably for miles. He folded the paper back up and put it by the tree he’d hung the backpack on for now.

He remembered what the stranger had said, about letting the pain. This time he was determined to transform faster.

He wasn’t totally sure how to start, but he took a deep breath and just kind of willed it to happen. He focused on all the things that had happened to him while he transformed the first time, and welcomed all of it this time. He closed his eyes and tried to picture it.

Right about the time Sam started to feel foolish, his lower leg snapped painfully. Finally, he was getting somewhere. He continued to breath, and decided to get on all fours this time, in hopes that it might accelerate things.  It seemed to. Within minutes, every bone in his body was breaking and rearranging, but it was slightly less painful than the first time. He hoped he could transform enough times that it would stop being painful altogether. He could just imagine how unstoppable he would be if he could just wolf out whenever he pleased.

At least it seemed to have happened a lot faster now. That was a good sign.

Looking through the wolf’s eyes was surreal. His mind raced as everything was suddenly heightened. His human consciousness kept fading in and out. He couldn’t concentrate on any thought for too long before a sound or smell or movement in the night swept him away. He smelled something enticing in the air though, and without any hesitation he ran in the direction of the scent. He tried to forcibly take back control but his grip slipped again and again.

He finally came to a stop at what he realized was a campsite. Every fiber of his being screamed to get into that tent suddenly, and he knew why.

A part of his brain wanted to turn and run far away, but that was quickly shut down by the wolf’s instincts. He had no choice. The wolf _had_ to get to whoever was in that tent.

Sam woke up, on the forest floor, covered in dirt and grass and _blood_ some time later. The tent, or what was left of it, looked like something from a horror movie.

He remembered it all, even though it didn’t feel like it had been him doing it. He remembered the campers’ terror, and their screaming, and the feeling of ripping into their flesh and he remembered loving every second of it. Or was it the wolf who loved every second? Was he separate from the animal? He couldn’t really tell.

Thank god the sky overhead was still dark. He needed to get his clothes and get back to the cabin before anyone would notice he was missing.

He could never tell Avery about this. Let alone his aunt. He didn’t even want to think about what they might say.

He found a towel in the campers’ supplies and wrapped it around his waist. From there he retraced his very obvious path back to where he’d left the backpack. In wolf form, he was apparently not terribly stealthy yet. Once he’d caught scent of the campers, he’d crashed through the wilderness quite carelessly.

Once he reached his backpack, he grabbed a water bottle out of it and dumped the entire contents onto the towel, using it to clean some of the dried blood from around his mouth and down the front of his chest. He couldn’t imagine what he must look like right now.

Finally satisfied that he looked a little less feral, he got dressed and headed back to the cabin. As silently as possible, he opened the door and crept to his and Avery’s room first, and then Lenore’s, to see if they had woken up at all. Thankfully, they were still asleep. It was about five in the morning. He quietly got into the shower and washed the rest of the dirt and grime off himself.

He wanted to feel shame, remorse, regret, or any number of miserable things. He didn’t though. The crushing sadness of his mother’s death had temporarily lifted. The anger had subsided. He even felt joy knowing what he would do to his coffin after he had a good handle on this werewolf thing. He felt strong.

Two days later, they had ventured out of their place in the woods and were in the grocery store to get food and other necessities. That’s when they overheard some locals talking about the ‘unusual bear attack’ in the mountains. Apparently it was all over the news right now. Avery picked up a newspaper depicting the story  right on the front page as they headed out of the store. Sam tried to shut him out as he read an excerpt from the news story.

“The remains of Tori and Aaron Combs were found late last night in their tent by a search party after their family reported they never returned as scheduled from their camping trip. Authorities believe a wild animal, possibly a bear, is responsible for the attack. Hikers are advised to use caution in the area until the animal is located.” He read aloud in the car. Sam remained silent.

“Well, that’s odd, isn’t it?” Aunt Lenora replied, “I didn’t think bears around here were particularly aggressive.”

“They’re not.” Avery confirmed. “Right, Sammy?”

Sam was glad they could not hear his heart slamming against his rib-cage.

“Maybe it was rabid.” He said in a careful voice. “Maybe they provoked it.”

“Maybe.” Avery said quietly.

“Well, whatever it was, you boys need to be careful out there. Stay close until it’s caught.” At least Aunt Lenora seemed none the wiser. Avery though…Sam was quite certain he knew.  Of course, they both promised they would keep an eye out and that she needn’t worry.

He kept bracing himself for a confrontation but it never came. Avery never brought it up again, and Sam vowed to be more careful anyway.

In order to throw off suspicion, the next time he went out to transform, he got Avery to go with him and help with the boundary spell. He did this roughly every couple of months, even though he still went out on his own far more than that in secret. His goal was that Avery would assume those few times were the only times he was going out to gain control of his transformations. It seemed to be working.

To his credit, he did place a boundary spell even when he was on his own. Most of the time, anyway.

It was boring though, to be confined to a space, no matter how much room he tried to give himself. So he gave himself free reign _sometimes_ and really, it was fine. He didn’t kill people every single time. Just…some of the time.  More and more often, it was only when he just really wanted to. Sometimes it was necessary. Like if someone was stupid enough to be walking around out there so late at night, and happened to spot him. He had to take care of it.

For nearly two years, he managed to keep this up. He kept his kills few and far between enough that Avery seemed to have lost any suspicion he might have had. He never brought it up. Sam got better at waiting for nights when he just really needed to blow off some steam and let some of his anger out. He got better at getting rid of the bodies when he went back to human form. He got better at controlling his wolf form so that there would be less mess. Maybe he was a monster, but he was smarter than Avery gave him credit for when he really put his mind to it.

They built a life there. Or at least, some form of a life. Lenora and Avery got jobs under false names, to bring in some income, they made the cabin their own, and it largely seemed as if the coven had forgotten about them. They got comfortable, which was a mistake that would cost them dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is kind of short! But I wanted to keep this part of the story line in it's own chapter.


	5. You're Somebody Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're Somebody Else-Flora Cash

A couple of months before he turned fifteen, Sam and his family were living in a relatively comfortable false sense of security. They just didn’t know it at the time. They didn’t know that miles away, the rest of the coven was still holding a powerful grudge and using any means necessary to track him down and seek retribution for his crime.

For about a week, Sam had already been getting an uneasy feeling. When they were out in town, he’d feel the urge to check over his shoulder or watch strangers a little more closely. He sometimes had the urge to just take off running for no reason. But his aunt and brother didn’t seem to be concerned so he pushed the feelings away. It had been two years. If the coven was going to strike, they would have done so by now, wouldn’t they?

Either way, it didn’t matter. He was ready for them, if they ever did manage to locate him. He’d worked tirelessly to control his wolf form. So much so that they had put it to the ultimate test.

About a month ago, they walked out into a clearing a couple of miles away from the cabin yet again. Avery didn’t know just how often Sam was transforming but by now he did have a suspicion that it was more frequent than he let on. Avery set up another boundary spell, effectively boxing Sam in, while leaving himself free to enter or exit as he pleased.

Sam, though he’d been very confident in the week leading up to this, was feeling nervous. It was one thing to practice his control over his wolf side around total strangers, it was quite another to practice with his brother.

After Avery was done with the boundary, he stood outside of it and waited.

“Remember, just step over the edge.” Sam reminded him. “And don’t do anything, at all. _At all_. Step right back outside if I so much step toward you.”

“It’s fine, Sammy, we’re gonna be fine.” He said for probably the millionth time. He then politely turned and waited for Sam to strip out of his clothes, because their aunt was getting tired of buying new things for him far more often than anyone should. Sam took a deep breath and willed the change to happen. It was almost effortless now, even though the pain factor was definitely still present.

When he was done, his brother turned to face him and stepped over the line of salt on the ground. The wolf side of his brain _wanted_ to attack. It was instinctual. But he didn’t feel like his human side was just being dragged along for the ride anymore. He firmly held his ground, even though the urge was definitely there under the surface.

“See? Easy.” Avery said. Of course, this meant that Sam really did have to face the fact that he was more responsible for the deaths of several humans over the years than he cared to admit.

Satisfied with the results of his experiment, Sam turned back to his human form, and got dressed while Avery removed the boundary spell.

Since that day, Sam stopped travelling so far away to turn. He admitted to them that he transformed far more often than he actually told them. He loved the feeling of being in his wolf form. He loved the freedom and power it afforded him. When he explained this, he left out the details of the lives he’d taken as a result of being drunk with said power. That was his burden to bear. And it really was a burden once in a while, when he let himself dwell on it for too long.

One fateful night, however, the home and life they’d made for themselves was ripped away once more. It started when Sam swore he felt something shift in the air. Like suddenly something wasn’t quite right but he couldn’t figure out what that something was. A ‘disturbance in the force’ Avery had joked, and Sam punched his arm.

“I’m serious.” He said in exasperation. He’d taken to actually caring about magic again, since it did make life a lot easier. After the incident back home, he’d nearly sworn off it. Now he’d become somewhat sensitive to it. He felt something different now, and he realized two hours later, far too late, what it was.

He’d been mindlessly playing a video game with Avery one evening, trying not to be too bitter about the fact he was losing, when the thought struck him. Sam jumped to his feet and threw the control, nearly hitting the TV.

“Lenora said she won’t buy another one if you break this TV too.” Avery said, irritated. “What’s got into you now? It’s just a game, Sammy.”

“Lenora. Where is she?” he asked.

“Outside again, I think.” Avery responded, “She has it in her head she’s going to put a flower bed outside or something this week. I told her it’s a bad idea—you’ll probably just dig it up.”

Sam didn’t say another word as he ran to the front door and left Avery with no choice but to pause the game and see what was going on with him. He stepped out on the porch.

“Aunt Lenora?” He called, looking around.

“Sam, go back inside.” He heard her voice around the corner, filled with fear. Of course he didn’t do that. He leapt off the porch and rounded the corner to find her cornered by six other witches.

“Leave her alone.” He demanded. “She’s not the one you have an issue with.”

“She helped you escape after you slaughtered a man.” One of them replied in a bored voice.

“I don’t give a damn what she’s done, or what I’ve done. You killed my mother.” Sam growled, eyes flashing yellow. The witches, whom had been unaware of his werewolf blood, took a step back at once. They weren’t giving in though.

“We merely sought your mother’s aid in bringing you to justice, Samael. She refused, and chose to fight instead. We were left with no choice.”

Lenora took their distraction as a chance to deliver an incantation, sending two of them off their feet, flying backwards. The others closed in on her.

“For the last time, Lenora, stand down and we may allow you to live.” One of them said in a gravelly voice. She ignored him and tried to focus her energy once again. Two of the witches came forward, chanting in unison. Blood began to pour from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Within a minute, she fell to the ground.

Sam didn’t have time to think about it. He lunged at one of them, transforming into a wolf in midair. He ripped out the man’s throat with ease. He killed another, and then another. And the remaining three tried to combine their power to stop him but somewhere behind him, Avery was already chanting. They managed to send Sam flying backwards for a moment, and his back made contact with the window of the cabin, shattering it. But that's all they managed to do before Avery cast a disruption spell on their efforts. Sam killed two more, and stalked toward the remaining witch, a girl who seemed barely older than a teenager. She was a fool for getting involved in this.

“No, please!” she cried, “I was just doing what they asked. They said my family would be rewarded.”

“Samael, stop!” Avery said suddenly. Sam turned his head towards him and growled in response. “Let that one go. Just trust me.”

He turned away, ready to ignore the request.

“ _Sammy_ , I mean it.” Avery said again. Sam stared back at him, looking as angry as a wolf possibly could, but he turned and stood beside Avery. He bared his teeth at the girl. She’d better understand how lucky she was to still be breathing.

_Roughly 1,700 miles away, on an empty street in New Orleans, two different brothers were dying. Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson watched as the city around them melted away, and waited for whatever would happen next. They were not expecting to be dropped into the wilderness of Maine, outside cabin, where a blood-soaked wolf and a teenage boy stood in the middle of six dead bodies, staring down one remaining girl._

_Elijah frowned. “Pardon us? Sorry to…intrude.” No one seemed to have heard him though. No one even glanced in their direction. They couldn’t see the two men._

“Go.” Avery said sternly to the girl. “Tell them what happened here and don’t come back.”

Sam snarled at him in protest. The girl turned and took off running without another word. The wolf growled again.

“Are you going to help me clean this up or not?” Avery asked, gesturing to the dead witches. The wolf gave him a positively lethal stare. But he bounded inside anyway to transform in privacy. Avery had the brief thought that Lenora would be irritated at the dirt and blood he would track inside, and then he remembered. Lenora was laying dead on the ground nearby. He didn't have time to deal with that fact emotionally right now. That would have to come later. He suspected the same from Sam. Avery kicked one of the bodies. “Couldn’t have just stayed home in Virginia, could you?” he muttered to it.

Sam came out a moment later, in a pair of shorts and blood still caked to the front of him. He looked down at himself and waved his hands an inch or so from his chest and face, saying an incantation a few times. The blood cleared up. Avery blinked, and thought about how methodical he’d been when killing the witches, and how fast he’d transformed back to his human form again and the casual use of the spell. As if he was well-practiced at this.

“You’ve done this before.” Avery said. It wasn’t a question.

Sam shot him a glare. “Now’s not the time. Why are we letting her go?”

“If no one comes back, they’ll only send someone else to investigate. If she goes back and tells them what she saw here…they’ll be smart enough to stay away.” Avery explained. He looked around at the bodies once more, and then said sharply, “How many times, Samael?”

He never used Sam’s name like that. Sam avoided the question anyway. “There’s a glass shard embedded in my back that I can’t reach. Get it for me?”

He turned, and Avery sighed and went over to him, and yanked the shard out. Sam hissed in pain, but the damage was already repairing. At least there was that. 

_“Niklaus.” Elijah said slowly. “Is there a possibility that…”_

_He didn’t dare finish the sentence. But surely Klaus could see it. A werewolf, with magic, who healed faster than a wolf ever should. A werewolf who could change at will, who happened to be a teenage boy who bore a striking resemblance to the hybrid standing next to him._

_“There was one witch in Virginia.” Klaus said hesitantly. “Right before I went to New Orleans.”_

_“We must be here for some reason but…they can’t even see us.” Elijah said with a puzzled look._

“What now?” Sam said helplessly. He felt like a little kid suddenly, now that everything had finally sunk in. He stared at Avery for answers. “Mom’s gone. Now Aunt Lenora’s gone too. I never should have had anything to do with our stupid, worthless coven!” he raged, clenching his fists. Killing the witches didn't make up for the fact that people he loved were still gone. He'd always thought it would. 

_That was it. That was why they’d been dropped here._

_“He should find his sister.” Klaus said at once, “They’ll need each other.”_

_The world began to fade. Or perhaps they were starting to fade from it. Panic seized Klaus._

_“No. No, wait, not yet.” He said, pleading to whatever forces had put him here. He threw one last desperate look at the boy and yelled, “Samael!”_

Sam jerked his head around at the sound of his name. Two men stood staring at him. They’d simply appeared out of nowhere, and it seemed they weren’t truly present in this world either. They looked as though they were starting to fade away as quickly as they appeared to him. He stared at them in shock, and also couldn't help being worried. They’d likely just seen him commit several murders. “Who are you?”

The blonde man spoke to him, with a sense of urgency, “Samael. Please. Go to the Salvatore School in Mystic Falls. Find-”

They vanished before he could finish the sentence.  “What the hell was that?” Sam asked incredulously.

“What was what?” Avery asked with a frown. “I didn’t see anything.”

How had they only appeared to Sam? And why did he need to go to some school, of all places?


	6. High Hopes

The great thing about being a supernatural creature of any sort was that there wasn’t much of anything outside the realm of possibility. That made it a lot easier when Sam explained to Avery what he’d seen after they killed the witches.

The next days that followed felt unreal. They buried Lenora first. Or, Avery did. Sam couldn’t stand to look at her. Not even when Avery wrapped her in a sheet and laid her delicately next to the hole he’d begun to dig. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything about it. Grief felt weak, and he didn’t enjoy feeling that way, so it was easier to just shut it out completely and look to the future.

 Instead, Sam focused on burning the coven members’ bodies one by one in the fire pit. It was a grueling process, considering each one took at least a solid two hours to burn completely. He didn’t get tired of watching their bodies destroyed by the fire though.

They had heard of Salvatore before. The coven as a whole, set in its ways, balked at the idea of sending their children there. It seemed dangerously close to their old hometown, but supposedly it was one of the safest places to be if you happened to be supernatural. Maybe they could get help there if they explained what they’d been through.

Or maybe the school would find out all of the things Sam had done and turn the boys over to the coven themselves.

Several hours later, Sam was exhausted and watching the last of the bodies burn. He had become somewhat suspicious that if he didn’t actively witness their destruction himself the bastards would come back for him.

“Well.” Avery said, coming to sit down beside him after going through his own grieving process, “Should we go?”

“I just want to know _why_. What if it’s a trap of some kind?”

“You just killed five witches with your bare…paws.” Avery told him, “I feel like we could handle the risk. We still have money to get us through a while but, we can’t stay here forever. This isn’t a life. It really hasn’t been a life for two years now.”

“Sorry to be an inconvenience.” Sam muttered.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Avery sighed, feeling slightly guilty. “We’ll go when the new school year starts. We’ll be fine here until then.”

* * *

 

The first week of September, they packed up what they could, locked up the cabin, and got in the car. Sam took one last look at the memorials to both their aunt and mother in the yard by the cabin. He didn’t feel anything though. He was done feeling sorry for himself. He’d lost a lot but he’d never have everything he wanted if he kept dwelling on it.  And he definitely wanted a lot of things. He'd spent two years in hiding. If Avery was correct, the coven wouldn't be a problem anymore. It was time to start pursuing bigger and better things.

They were not sure how to explain their sudden presence at the school as two unattended teenage witches, one being half werewolf.  They only knew that it was supposed to be a “safe haven” for supernatural children and hope that much was true.

“I wouldn’t mention that you can change at will.” Avery told him. “Not that I know much about werewolves, but…it doesn’t appear to be common. We don’t need to draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“If I mention that I’m a werewolf—a normal one—they’ll expect me to transform in some stupid cell every month.” Sam said with a frown, “I suppose we could just…leave that out for now. Or tell them I’m untriggered?”

There had to have been a reason why the strange ghost man, at least he assumed it was a ghost, would want him to go there. But he wasn’t about to just go in blind and trust them with his secrets. Especially when those secrets involved quite a lot of bloodshed.

“Whatever helps you keep the lies straight.” Avery said indifferently. But Sam didn’t like the implications in the sentence. He thought back to the moment after he’d killed the witches. _How many times?_  Avery had asked. Sam had still avoided the question.

 _Samael._ Archangel of death and destruction. His mom certainly had a flair for the dramatic. She always claimed she just thought the name sounded pretty. He started to wonder if she’d ever imagined he might live up to it someday. Clearly Avery already had his suspicions. Sam would need to tread carefully from now on.

After several hours of driving and getting lost at least once, they reached Mystic Falls city limits. “I expected a little more than some one horse town.” Sam said irritably. The time spent in the car was getting to him.

“There it is.” Avery pointed over the wheel. Sam watched through the window as they drove through a set of gates to a sprawling building. There were several students milling around outside. They’d missed the move-in date by a couple of days, according to their website, so Sam and Avery were at a slight disadvantage already. Avery parked the car and the two of them walked up to the entrance. It was a very old, very grand building that had clearly been expanded upon over time.

They were directed to the headmaster’s office by another student and made their way up the stairs.

Standing outside the door, they both paused for a moment, as they were definitely apprehensive of this new chapter in their lives. Sam knocked on the door.

“Come in.” a male voice called from the other side. Sam straightened his posture and walked into the office. A middle aged man sat at a desk, with a nameplate that read “Dr. Saltzman, headmaster.”

“Can I help you?” he asked, looking over top his laptop at the boys.

“I’m Avery Abbott, and this is my younger brother, Samael. How would we go about enrolling?” Avery spoke first. “My brother and I were referred here.”

“By whom?” he asked curiously.

Sam and Avery exchanged glances.

“First off, call me Sam. Second, um…would it be totally out of the ordinary if we said we weren’t sure exactly what or who it was?” Sam asked. “We’re witches. It comes with the territory, right?”

Dr. Saltzman gives them an amused smile at that answer. “Okay, so clearly you know what this school is. I need a parent or guardian to fill out the paperwork though…”

“Our mom is dead. No worthwhile dad to speak for either of us. Our aunt died a few months ago. We’ve been on our own since then.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He said sincerely. “We can fudge some of the paperwork with the state; it wouldn’t be the first time. Do you have records from your last school?”

“We haven’t been in school in two years.” Avery admits. Dr. Saltzman raises his eyebrows. He was going to be suspicious. This could be bad.

Sam lets out a long sigh, and then cast a hopeless glance at his brother. “We may as well tell him the truth.” He said regretfully, causing Avery’s eyes to widen.  Sam turned back to Dr. Saltzman. “In addition to being a witch, I’m also a werewolf—untriggered though. That didn’t matter to the coven. They detest _intermingling_ between the species. They finally killed our mother for her offense. My aunt hid me for two years before they tracked us down and killed her as well. We only narrowly escaped. Avery saw this school in a dream. We learned it could be a safe haven.”

He throws Dr. Saltzman a pleading, innocent look. “I’m sorry our education is spotty. We’ll work hard to catch up. We’re just tired of running, and the coven would never dream of attacking this school. Not with so many who would stand against them.”

Sam held his breath. Lying had always been easy for him. He sometimes even almost believed the things he told people.

“Wait here.” He says to the boys. “Let me get someone to give you a tour.”

After Dr. Saltzman leaves the room, Sam gives  Avery a triumphant grin but Avery only grimaces in response. “Remind me to start keeping notes on all the lies we’re supposed to keep up with.”

“Hey, I got us in the clear. You’re welcome.”

Dr. Saltzman returned a few minutes later with two girls. The brunette gives them a welcoming smile, while the blonde looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. The blonde gives them a half-interested glance. Sam decides in that moment that she’s _gorgeous._ Maybe he’d like it here after all.

“Boys, I’d like you to meet my daughters, Lizzie and Josie. They’ll give you a tour of the school while I work on getting you enrolled and having a room made up for you. We need to do some placement testing later as well, to figure out what classes to put you in.”

The girls lead them out of the office and then once they were a decent distance away, Lizzie turns around abruptly to face them.

“Let’s get this over with, because I’m _trying_ to decorate our dorm room for this year and I’ve got a color scheme in mind, and I need to paint before dad finds out.”

“Wait, you’re painting?” Josie looks horrified, “God, no, Lizzie, he’ll kill us.”

“No one said you have to help, calm down.” Lizzie says impatiently. “Anyway, I’m Lizzie, this is Josie. We’re twins.”

“Fraternal.”

“Obvs.” Lizzie says.

“I’m Samael, and this is my older brother, Avery.” Sam supplies before Avery can respond, “Call me Sam though. We’re thrilled to be here.” He flashes them his most endearing smile. But to his disappointment, Lizzie seems to barely notice. It’s no big deal, he can try again later.

They continue the tour; pointing out classrooms, the library, the cafeteria, and everything else that Sam is sure he won’t remember and hopes that Avery will remember for him. He’s too busy trying to decide the best way to get Lizzie Saltzman’s attention. He hasn’t had a proper chance to flirt with a girl in two years so…he’s a bit out of practice in that department.

“We hope you’ll like it here.” Josie says. At least she seems friendly. “Everybody gets along with everybody here, for the most part.”

“The wolves can be pretty cliquey though. They like to hang with their own. Dad says one of you is an untriggered wolf?” Lizzie adds in, and Avery points to Sam. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have any delusions about thinking they’ll let you into their dumb little pack.”

“In defiance of the school’s commitment to inclusiveness.” Josie says with an irritated look, but she smiles at the boys, “But everyone else is really friendly.”

“ _Almost_ everyone.” Lizzie says, looking down the hallway at an auburn-haired girl coming towards them.

“Lizzie, be nice, she’s been through a lot this year.” Josie mutters to her.

“Hope!” Lizzie says in cheery voice that’s clearly fake, “Don’t you want to greet our new students?”

The other girl, whom had clearly been lost in her own thoughts, stops and blinks at them. “Oh. Yeah, sure, welcome to Salvatore.” She says, and then looks at Josie, “Oh, Penelope was looking for you.”

“Oh my god, we’ve only been back two days and you’ve spent every waking moment with her.” Lizzie says, annoyed, “What could she possibly want?”

“I…I don’t know.” Josie stammers. “I’m sure she can wait.”

“She’ll have to. You’re not ditching me to finish up this tour by myself.”

“I never said I was! Thanks, Hope. Did you, um, have a good summer?” Josie asks.

Hope gives her a sympathetic smile. “I know Dr. Saltzman asked you guys to be extra nice to me. I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll tell him you’ve been nothing but helpful.”

Simultaneously, Josie stammers out denials and Lizzie says “Well, thank god for that.” Hope seems actually amused by that for a moment, and then looks to Sam and Avery again.

“Good luck.” She says to the boys, nodding in the girls’ direction, and then she continues down the hall.

Once Hope is out of earshot, Josie explains, “That’s Hope Mikaelson. She’s been going to school here since forever. Both her parents, and her uncle, died a few months ago.”

“She’s also a tribrid.”

“A what?” Avery asks.

“Tribrid. She’s part vampire, werewolf, and witch.”  Josie says, and then noting the boys’ confused looks, she adds “I don’t know, like, her mom was a werewolf, and her dad was a vampire-werewolf hybrid with witch ancestry. So, yeah.”

“Her dad was _the_ hybrid.” Lizzie says, “You must have heard about it, right? That he died a few months ago? Word travels fast.”

“We’ve been out of the loop for a while now.” Avery admits, “We’ve heard rumors of the hybrid in the past though.”

“So she’s got to be like…crazy powerful, right?” Sam asks, intrigued. He’s already strategizing how best to own this school within the next few months. He doesn’t want competition.

“Yeah, but she mostly keeps to herself.”

Well, that’s a relief. Still, he decides he should try and befriend her at some point. A tribrid with a connection to the original vampires seemed like someone he ought to keep tabs on if he wanted to use this place to make a name for himself.

Lizzie and Josie finished up the tour and led them back to Dr. Saltzman’s office to wait in the hallway until he was ready to see them again.

“So if we need anything, I suppose we just need to look for you?” Sam asks, eyes on Lizzie.

She rolled her eyes in response, “I’m going to go ahead and ask that you just seek out Josie. I’m pretty busy this year. Or just ask literally anyone else.” She said, shutting him down right away. “Come on Josie, I need your help with the paint.”

“You said I didn’t need to!” Josie said in protest, but followed her sister down the hall. Once they left, Avery turned to Sam.

“So, what do you think?” Avery asks in a quiet voice.

Sam ponders for a moment. “Josie seems friendly enough, likable. Lizzie is stunning but clearly resistant to my natural charms. I like a challenge though.”

Avery shoves his arm. “I mean about the school, you hopeless ass.”

“Oh, it’ll serve my purposes just fine.”

Avery raises an eyebrow, “And what purposes are those? If I might ask?” He’s clearly already worried.

Sam gives his brother that scheming grin he always has when he’s up to something, “My path to greatness, world domination, et cetera.”

Avery groans and leans back in his chair. “Well, you have fun with that. Leave me out of it.”


	7. My Blood

“This is garbage.” Sam said as he studied the class schedule he’d been given. They’d had aptitude tests yesterday, and while Avery passed with flying colors because he actually made an effort to keep himself on track the past two years, Sam clearly needed to make up for lost time.

“Well, you did miss two years of school. You’re lucky it’s not more than just science and math.” Avery reasoned, “I told you to not to let yourself fall behind.”

Today was the first day of classes and Sam had spent most of the previous weekend  categorizing his fellow students in order to decide who was irrelevant, who might be worthy of his time—i.e. who could he exploit—and who he needed to watch out for.

At present, he was avoiding the werewolves. He was beginning to regret lying and saying he was untriggered though. He already hated Jed and his weak little pack. He could destroy them, easily. But he remembered Avery’s concerns that they needed to watch their step. So for now, he would let Jed play at being alpha. Sam could take that title whenever he wanted, after all. Of course, that would mean coming up with a way to stage “triggering the curse” for the sake of appearances. He guessed he’d have to kill someone, and furthermore, he guessed it would need to look accidental to stay in the school’s good graces.

That was a concern for another day.

Anyway, aside from the wolves, there were the vampires. He’d already somewhat befriended a vampire named Kaleb who seemed to be an unofficial ‘leader’ in the school’s vampire community. He and his circle of friends seemed to get along well enough with Sam. This had inadvertently led to Avery meeting a vampire girl named Rowan whom he’d already started spending a considerable amount of time with, and they’d barely been there a week. It was fine. Sam could surely handle not being the center of attention for longer than ten minutes.

That left the witches. As he’d previously learned, Hope Mikaelson kept to herself despite rumors of her power. Lizzie and Josie were powerful in their own right, and Lizzie certainly commanded an impressive number of to do her bidding. _I suppose I’ll need a queen, when I run this place._ He thought to himself, while he watched her in the math class he’d been forced to endure until he could show he was ready to move back to his level. She caught him watching and scowled at him. He didn’t like that. Not that he’d had much time for girls in the past couple of years, but any time they went into town back in Maine, he tended to catch girls’ eyes wherever he went. They definitely did not scowl.

On the bright side, Josie and her girlfriend, Penelope Park, were friendly towards him, and by now he’d won enough people over that Lizzie _had_ to notice him.

The bell rang, signaling class change, and he waited for Lizzie to leave before he started to follow her out. Before he could make much progress he was stopped by some kid in the hallway. He struggled to remember the boy’s name.

“Hey, Sam!” Oh, now he definitely felt guilty about not knowing the guy’s name, “There’s a party tonight in the woods near the cemetery. You should come.” He glanced back at a couple of girls at the far end of the hallway, whom had apparently been watching the exchange closely, and then dropped his voice, “Listen, my girlfriend kind of put me up to this because her friend is into you.”

“Which one is the friend?”

“Dark-haired girl. Her name is Quinn. She’s in your Ancient Civilizations class I think.”

Sam glanced up at the girl. She was pretty enough. He flashed her a dashing smile and her eyes went wide and she blushed and waved back. Maybe he could stand to make an appearance at a party after all.

Of course, he nearly changed his mind when he found out Avery and Rowan were going as well.

“What? You’ve been on my case for days about not getting enough attention because you’re an _overgrown toddler_ with no sense of personal space. But the minute I happen to be going the same place you’re going, you want no part of it?” Avery complained, as he irritably ran his fingers through his hair in the mirror. “Has my hair always looked like this? And no one’s bothered to tell me?”

“Rowan knows what your hair looks like.” Sam said, bored.  “And I _don’t_ care if you go to the party. Just don’t get in my way. I don’t need your attention, I have plenty of people giving me attention now.” So long as he surrounded himself with people who stroked his ego, he need not worry about that irritating fear of abandonment he tried to keep buried deep.

“On second thought, I feel like you shouldn’t go.” Avery said under his breath. Sam elected to pretend he hadn’t heard.

* * *

 

_As the days went on for the living world, the dead had no choice but to stand and watch._

_Klaus and Elijah had pretty much figured out this whole ghost thing. As it turned out, thinking too strongly about someone tended to immediately transport them to that person. They were unable to reach out again though. Try as Klaus might. And he did try quite often. They had also gathered that the main reason for their continued stay in this world was what so many referred to as “unfinished business.” It was Elijah who figured it out, really. Hope, and now Samael, was Klaus’s unfinished business. He could not rest in peace until he knew they were at peace as well. But with every new piece of information they learned about Sam, the more peace seemed unobtainable._

_Elijah? He couldn’t rest until Klaus could rest. Even in death. They did wonder where Hayley and even Vanessa were now. But perhaps they’d managed to find peace themselves. As evidenced in Sam, the Mikaelson attachment to family was borderline neurotic. Normal people could trust their loved ones would be okay without them. Normal people could move on to the next stage and give up the compulsive need to be meddling in their family’s business. Not a Mikaelson._

_They watched as the two boys argued. The era was different, the personalities and situation was different. But Klaus and Elijah were all too familiar with this dynamic. History had a way of repeating itself._

_“How could he have turned out so…” Klaus trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence._

_“Similar to yourself?” Elijah provided. Klaus shot him an indignant glare._

_“I changed, didn’t I? And Hope has never been this person.”_

_“You had help. Hope has had an entire network of people devoted to her. This child had a mother and aunt who couldn’t possibly understand what they were dealing with. And a brother barely a year old who can only do so much.” Elijah said with a frown. They’d accessed the past. Another useful ghost ability, it seemed.  They’d seen everything. Every decision, mistake, and unfortunate circumstance that led to the boy they were looking at now._

_“If she would just figure out who he is.” Klaus said, “She can change things. I know she can.”_

* * *

 

Avery left with Rowan, and Sam grouped up with Kaleb and his friends a little while later. He followed them out into the woods behind the school where several students were already gathered. Being out in the woods again made him itch to transform. It had been a while now. How long would he have to wait until he could again?

He spotted the girl who’d wanted him to come in the first place, Quinn. It’d be rude not to at least say hello. She caught his eye and met him halfway.

“Hey! I’m so glad you made it. My friends said you wouldn’t come.”  She said, and then looked as though she realized that last bit probably shouldn’t have been said out loud.

“Oh? Why’d they say that?”

She looked down nervously, “It’s stupid. They think you act like…well, kind of like you think you’re above everyone else?”

Rude. Not altogether inaccurate, but still rude. He realized though, that she was a werewolf. And when he looked over her shoulder, he noticed a group watching them. Finally one of them, Jed, walked over. “Really, Quinn? Don’t you have higher standards?”

She huffed. “Be nice.”

Sam smiled back as if he hadn’t heard the insult. “I don’t believe we’ve met properly, Jed.”

“Yeah, and we really don’t need to. Just because you’re a wolf by blood doesn’t mean you have any business trying to hang around us. I mean, from what we’ve heard, you grew up in a coven. You’ve never even met a real pack.”

Ugh. This one needed to just die. People don’t disrespect Samael Abbott. Sam didn’t even need to transform to kill him. Though the wolf inside might enjoy a meal.

“Noted. No worries, Jed.” Sam flashed a grin, and walked away. He pondered the pros and cons of Jed meeting an untimely demise. He couldn’t think of many cons.

At the end of the night, Jed and his friends were among the last to leave. Sam stuck to the shadows as the groups of students started to filter away. Finally, Jed departed from the group he was with, and started through the woods back towards the school. Sam was good at staying silent. He trailed Jed from a few yards away, trying to decide if he might actually go through with it.

A hand came down on his shoulder and he nearly cried out in surprise. Avery stood behind him.

“How in the hell did you do that?” Sam hissed, as soon as he was sure Jed was out of earshot.

“Practice. I’m actually quite good at going unnoticed by wolves.” He replied simply.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Avery gave him a look, and Sam narrowed his eyes. “You’ve followed me.” Sam said, “How many times?”

“Enough to know when you’re plotting something insane. Like right now.”

He knew. The asshole _knew_ this entire time and just let Sam go about his life thinking he’d had everyone fooled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I kept waiting for you to come clean on your own. Obviously that isn’t going to happen.”

Furious, Sam shoved away from him and walked in the opposite direction of the school. “Fine.” He said over his shoulder, “Jed gets to live to see another day. Let’s hope no one else is out in the woods tonight. They might not be so lucky.”

Avery should have done something to stop him. There were a dozen or more spells that came to mind as he watched Sam disappear. But he didn’t. _At least he won’t be attacking students. You can’t save everyone._ Avery told himself. He waited until he heard a howl in the distance, and then he went inside inside and gathered some clothes. A couple of hours later he did a tracking spell and found his brother miles away at a campsite, covered in blood and wrapped in a stolen blanket. He continued to glare angrily at the ground as Avery tossed him some clothes. “I’ll deal with the mess.” Sam grumbled. They managed to clean up and return to school unnoticed by anyone. Not anyone in the living world, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide on how to format the Klaus and Elijah scenes to indicate the change


	8. Anti-everything

It was a rare moment that Avery had managed to escape Sam’s incessant demands for undivided attention. That was actually getting easier these days. He had developed a small following as the weeks wore on in school. Sam was still struggling to garner the attention of the current object of his affection, Lizzie Saltzman, but he was nothing if not persistent.

Done with classes for the day, Avery lounged on a blanket under a large tree on the grounds while Rowan was beside him. They were attempting to do the reading for history but both were having an increasingly difficult time concentrating.

“Okay, no, _stop_ with the leaves.” Rowan laughed as Avery waved his hand lazily making the fall leaves dance around her. He liked her laugh. He liked everything she did. Rowan was a vampire who had been turned a year ago and had accidentally torn through a night club some time during her first week as a newborn. That’s when Miss Forbes, the headmistress, found her and brought her to the school. As far as she knew, apparently a vampire had fed on her, healed her with their blood, and then she’d promptly been killed as a bystander during a robbery gone south in her old neighborhood in Chicago.

She hadn’t known what was going on or what on earth she was when she woke up. She figured it out quickly enough, but only after she’d left several bodies in her wake. “It was awful.” She’d told him when she first explained her story, “when I finally realized what I’d done, I wanted to step out into the sun and die. Miss Forbes found me just in time.”

After this year ended, the next would be her last year in school and Avery had already made up his mind that he’d probably beg her to stay in Mystic Falls just a while longer until Sam got through school— _if_ Sam got through school—because he’d very quickly fallen for this girl he’d known just a few short weeks.

He’d told her his story, or at least the parts he felt he could tell her. There was definitely a lot he left out. Maybe he could tell her the truth in time. After all, she’d told him absolutely everything, even the particularly gruesome parts, and most of what he hadn’t told her pertained to things Sam had done…and things that he covered up for Sam’s sake.

“God dammit, there you are.”

And speak of the devil. Avery sat up to find his brother marching towards them with a look of determination and slight annoyance.

“What are you doing out here?” Sam demanded.

“Studying.”

“It doesn’t look like much studying is getting done to me.” Sam looked from Avery to Rowan.

“It might shock you to learn that not all studying ends with hurling a text book through our bedroom window.” Avery deadpanned.

Sam folded his arms and looked down at the ground. “That was only twice and I fixed the window.”

“What do you need, Sammy?” Avery asked. He was getting a little bit embarrassed that every single time he made plans to spend time with Rowan, Sam found a way to interrupt. That barrier spell he liked to use was looking more attractive by the hour. He filed the idea away for next time.

“Oh. I’m just bored. Kaleb is busy and everyone else is mind-numbingly-”

“Sammy." Avery interrupted. "Go away.”

Looking horribly offended, Sam narrowed his eyes and said a spell, catching the edge the blanket on fire before spitting out “ _Fine”_ and storming off. Avery rolled his eyes and extinguished the flames.

“Your brother is…a handful.” Rowan said to him after struggling to find an appropriate word. He appreciated the attempt at being polite.

“He’s a pain in the ass. You don’t have to be nice about it.” Avery assured her as he watched Sam storm back towards the school.

* * *

 

Sam walked back into the school and was caught off-guard by a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Naturally, he had to investigate. When he was nearly there, he saw Josie Saltzman running from that direction. “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. She’s pissed off again.” She warned Sam. “I’m going to get dad. I think mom might be back by now too.”

She took off again, and Sam heard another crash in the kitchen. He went inside and arrived in time to see Lizzie completely shatter a shelf full of glass bowls.

Well, this was a decent boredom cure.

She glanced at him, and sent a plate hurtling towards him. He caught it before it hit him in the face and held it up to her. “Hey. Hey, Lizzie. What color is this?”

She was busy sending pots and pans flying through the air but she glanced towards him again and gave him a confused look. “Blue? What are _you_ doing here? Go away!”

“What else is blue?”

She blinked, the question threw her off her game. “I don’t know. The hydrangeas that bloom outside mom’s house every year.”

“That’s funny. I would have gone right to ‘the sky’ or ‘the ocean.’ What made you think of that?” he asked.

“Because… I don’t know. I’m sick of this school, I’m sick of my dad spending _all_ his time with Hope _freaking_ Mikaelson. I can’t wait for summer at mom’s house where it’s just me and her and Josie.” She sighed. “Why are you asking me these dumb questions?”

“Because now you’re not shattering the kitchen. It’s a stupid thing my brother did when we were kids, whenever I was angry. Ok, honestly? He still does it sometimes.” Sam admitted, “I guess I owe him now.”

They both looked around at the mess. Well, Sam thought, if they _both_ had anger issues, there was no telling the damage they could do together. He knew there was a reason he liked this girl other than her stunning looks.

About that time, Dr. Saltzman, Josie, and a blonde woman who must be the twins’ mother burst into the kitchen. Josie had explained the twins’ rather complicated start in life, like being magically transported into the womb of their unsuspecting vampire mother, but he still hadn’t been totally prepared for the fact she looked barely any older than they did.

“You’re too late. I’m all good. Sam helped.” Lizzie said breezily. She looked at Sam, and looked slightly pained for a second before saying, “Thanks. I guess.”

“Any time.” He flashed a cocky grin and she shook her head in disgust.

“Well, you still have to clean this up.” Miss Forbes said. She looked at Sam, “You’re one of the new students, right?”

“Yeah. Samael. But call me Sam, Miss Forbes. Pleased to meet you.” He said formally, and stuck out a hand. She looked a little bit surprised. He was generally good with adults. Presenting himself as an upstanding young man paid off usually.

“Avery calls you Sammy.” Josie piped up.

“Only because I like him better alive.” Sam muttered.

On cue, Avery hurried into the room, and looked around. “Someone…said the kitchen was being destroyed…and that they saw you…” he trailed off, looking at Sam.

“And you assumed it was me?” Sam finished for him, pretending to be hurt by the accusation.

“I mean…yeah.” He quickly introduced himself to Miss Forbes.

“Well, everyone can clear out now. Lizzie needs to clean this up herself. Without magic.”

Lizzie groaned.

“I can stay and help.” Sam offered. Lizzie, even though she made it quite clear she couldn’t stand him, seemed to brighten at the idea. Help is help, regardless of whom it’s from.

“Oh, no, she did this. You didn’t have any part in it.” Dr. Saltzman assured him. Sam looked around the kitchen and saw a stack of plates that had not yet been destroyed. He waved a hand and sent them tumbling to the ground with a crash.

“Looks like I had a part in it.” He said apologetically while they all gaped at him and Avery rubbed his temples in frustration.

“Well…okay then.” Dr. Saltzman said finally, at a loss for anything else to say, “No magic though. I mean it.”

After they left, Sam and Lizzie gathered up a couple of brooms and dustpans and a large bucket to put the broken glass in. “You didn’t have to stay and help.” She said awkwardly. “Most people wouldn’t. Not even my so-called friends. Or Josie.”

“Why were you so angry?” he asked.

“We had plans today, like my parents and Josie and me, we were all going to spend the day together. And of course dad had to cancel. Because Hope just had a bad day and needed an extra training session or whatever to let some anger out. And no one _ever_ says no to Hope.” She said, aggressively sweeping glass shards into the dustpan as she spoke. “Like, okay fine, I get that her parents just died or whatever but—oh. Your aunt died a few months ago. And your mom died. Sorry. God, I’m so tactless sometimes.”

“It’s fine, really.” He said quickly. And it was. He didn’t let himself feel grief or sadness or anything remotely inconvenient anymore. Why put himself through that? “For what it’s worth, there’s no one I’d rather sweep up broken glass with. Not even Hope _freaking_ Mikaelson.”

She grinned at that. He found himself really wishing everything he said could make her smile like that.

* * *

 

_“Well, I have to say, I’m a little hurt. I thought she’d see it.” Klaus commented after Caroline left the kitchen and they watched Samael and Lizzie clean up the fallout from Lizzie’s outburst._

_“Maybe you didn’t make the impression you thought you did.” Elijah said with a slight smirk. Klaus gave him a glare in response. Really though, he had thought Caroline would notice at least some of the similarities. The boy wasn’t his exact image, but he was damn close._

_He felt hopeful though, for the first time since getting to know who this boy was. The way he’d taken the time to help this girl when he could have just walked away was a sign that there was still something good in him. He wasn’t a lost cause just yet._

_“He seems quite taken with her.” Elijah commented._

_“He does.” The irony that he would pick Caroline’s sort-of-adopted child of all people was not lost on either of them. She was going to inadvertently push him away from Hope though. Which was…irritating. But any enemy of a Mikaelson man’s love interest was sure to become his enemy as well. That could prove to be a very big problem if Klaus couldn’t figure out how to materialize to either Sam or Hope very soon._


	9. Believer

Sam didn’t quite know what to make of Hope Mikaelson. He’d heard a little bit more about Klaus Mikaelson and the Original family of vampires. They’d built quite a name for themselves. A legacy that most people only dreamed of.

And she was just sitting there in the library, reading a book and wasting her family's power.

He found himself glaring.

“Can I help you?” she said in an annoyed voice. He realized she’d caught him watching her.

He closed the book he was pretending to read and walked over to her.

“Is it true you made some kid a hybrid?” he asked. He’d heard the stories from some of the other kids about Hope. He was pretty sure the exploding orphanage one was fake, but news of the kid who became a hybrid had been confirmed by pretty much everyone.

“It turned out to be a bad idea.” She answered cautiously. “Why?”

“Just exploring my options in case I ever accidentally trigger the curse.” That lie was getting annoying to uphold. He’d wanted to wolf out and rip some throats out at least three times in the past week alone.

“You’d lose your magic.”

“I was never great at it anyway.” This was true enough. He had enough raw power, but lacked the focus and patience for learning spells. There was only so far power alone could take him.

“And then you’d have to transform over and over until it no longer hurt to break the sire bond.”

He’d already done this, the transforming part. But he pretended to be put off by the thought. “Sire bond?”

“Any hybrid created with my blood, pretty much has to do what I say until they break the bond. My dad created a few, but I made them unsire themselves and sent them away.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “So you could have an entire army sired to obey you at your disposal, and you aren’t capitalizing on that?”  That would have been item number one on the list of things to do if he had the ability she had.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I kinda value free will and everything. I’m not looking to create an army.”

Absolutely ridiculous.

Just then, a boy in his math class scurried and handed Sam a couple of papers. “Your math homework.”

“Oh, awesome, thanks…uhhh…” he squinted at the guy for a minute.

“Zander.”

“Right. Zander. Thanks, Zander.” He grinned. Who needs a hybrid army? Zander stood there awkwardly for a moment. “You can go now.”

At Zander’s departure, Hope eyed Sam suspiciously. “Did you have him do your homework for you?”

“Would you believe me if I said he was only checking it?” Sam asked innocently. Why put in work at something so trivial in the grand scheme of things when he could just have someone else do it? He’d created quite the network of vampires and witches to do his bidding over the past few weeks. A charismatic attitude with a slightly threatening gleam in his eyes went a long away.

Hope closed her book. “I think I’m just going to finish this in my room.” She said decisively. She gave him one last look, like she was trying to come to a decision, and left. Great, she was probably going to find some way to ruin his hard work. Still, the tribrid didn’t seem like a great threat just yet. He could hopefully deal with that obstacle if it came up. And really, he just needed someone to complete his work for him until he could convince Dr. Saltzman to put him in the appropriate classes.

Later on that day, he was in Kaleb’s dorm, where Kaleb was grilling him for his opinions on the school-provided blood bags. He sat on the empty bed in the room. Kaleb’s old roommate had left last year, and he was supposed to be getting a new one any day now. Hopefully that wouldn’t be an issue. Sam liked hanging out in here.

“I mean, I’ve heard more than a few people mention it tastes different, you know?”

“Okay…”

“So what if...what if it’s not human?”

The though hadn’t really occurred to Sam before. But it kind of made sense. Vampires were weaker on non-human blood. Robbing the blood bank couldn’t be viable option to keep a school of vampire children sustained. “So you think they’re draining animals and bagging the blood? Hate to have that job.”

“Who cares whose job it is, Sam? The point is they’re doing it, and not giving us the real stuff.”

The statement gave Sam an idea, a way to further prove to Kaleb that he was a good ally to have around. The other vampires seemed to respect Kaleb as well. It could be worth his time.

“So why not test your theory? Go down to Mystic Falls. Sink your teeth into someone.”

“Snatch, eat, erase.” Kaleb said suddenly. At Sam’s questioning look, he explained, “I read it in one of the books. It’s how most vampires hide their existence. They find someone, feed discreetly, and then compel the person to forget it ever happened. I could do that. Maybe not in Mystic Falls though. The sheriff puts out vervain where he can.” He tossed Sam the book he’d been reading, full of famous vampires of history. He flipped through it until a picture caught his eye. He froze, and scrutinized it. He’d seen those two men before.

He looked up at Kaleb, who was still waiting for him to reply, and quickly closed the book. He could investigate more later.

“I have a car. We could drive to the next town over. Tonight.”

It was not technically his car, and he did not have a license or even a permit. But they had arrived in it, and the school allowed Avery to keep it, and Sam did know the basics of driving. And he knew where Avery kept the keys.

“You’d help me feed from some poor, unsuspecting humans? That’s not very witch-like of you.”

Like Sam had ever felt any sense of loyalty to witches. “My moral compass is a little defective.”

* * *

 

“You really don’t have to come with me.” Rowan said to Avery for the hundredth time.

“Yeah, but you’ve been complaining for a week straight about how painfully awkward it’ll be and how nervous you are about giving the new kid a tour. And if I can’t help calm your nerves, then I at least want the free entertainment.”Avery grinned.

Rowan playfully slapped his arm. “Rude. Worse than your brother, honestly.”

“Rowan, that is by far the meanest thing you have ever said to me.”  Avery put a hand over his heart in mock offense.

The new kid was a vampire, so a vampire was chosen to welcome him. Rowan, a model student and now a model vampire, was the perfect candidate for the job. Dr. Saltzman had asked a few days ago, and she agreed because she was ‘that kind of person’. And then she spent the entirety of the next few days having a complete panic attack over the thought of it.

“Just think of whatever was most helpful when you were new, and tell the new kid that.”

She laughed, “Kaleb gave me my tour. That consisted of ‘here’s your room, here’s where we eat, good luck.’”

“Okay so…the good news is, the bar is low.” Avery offered. They walked up to Dr. Saltzman’s office, where an anxious-looking boy waited inside.

“Dr. Saltzman, I hope it’s okay that Avery comes along?” Rowan asked tentatively.

“That’s fine. Usually I struggle to find anyone to volunteer for these tours. I’ll keep your name in mind, Avery.” Dr. Saltzman said with a look of relief, “This is Milton Greasley. He’ll be rooming with Kaleb, if you don’t mind showing him where to put his stuff. I’m swamped with paperwork.”

“Call me MG.” Milton—or MG—said at once. “ _Please._ ”

“Nice to meet you, MG.” Rowan said brightly, “Come on, let us help you drop off your stuff.”

They went up to the dorms and knocked on the door to Kaleb’s room. “Come in!” shouted a voice from the other side. Kaleb was sitting at his desk, while Sam lounged on the empty mattress meant for MG.

“Move.” Avery commanded. When Sam just smirked, Avery said some words in latin and flicked his hand, causing Sam to land on the floor with a thud.

“Hey!” Sam shouted indignantly. “I was gonna.”

Ignoring him, Avery took over introductions. “MG, this is your roommate Kaleb, and the guy on the floor is Sammy. He’ll be out of your way. While you’re getting settled in. Right, Sammy?”

“Of course.” He looked at MG, sizing him up, “We’ll get along great.”

“Come on, MG.” Rowan said, cutting in, “Let’s show you the rest of the school and then you can come back and socialize with these idiots.”

* * *

 

“He seemed okay.”

“Scared half to death is what he seemed.” Sam said. He walked over the window and looked down at the yard. He spied Jed carrying some books near the fountain. Muttering under his break, he sent the books flying from Jed’s arms into the fountain. He quickly ducked out of sight when Jed began swearing loudly and looking around for the culprit.

“That guy’s gonna murder you before the year is up.” Kaleb shook his head. “Don’t expect me to get a werewolf bite to save your dumb ass.”

“I can handle Jed.” Sam muttered. “So, tonight? Maybe your new roommate will join us. Better to make him complicit than have him rat us out.”

Sam went back to his room for the time being. He needed to find Avery’s car keys anyway. He thought about the picture of Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson that he’d seen today. They were the same men he’d seen that day in Maine, telling him to come here. Why would they appear to _him_ , of all people?

There was a light knock at his bedroom door. He groaned. Why was it impossible to get a moment of peace in this school. “What?” he snapped. The door was slowly opened, revealing some kid from his biology class. Oh, right, this one was doing his homework for _that_ class.

“Just leave it on the desk and leave me alone.” Sam said, barely glancing at the guy.

“Well…um…that’s the thing.” He began slowly. Sam sat up on his bed, all ears now. “I don’t have it.”

“ _Why_ don’t you have it?” Sam growled.

“She…she told me if I did…she’d…she’d…” he stuttered, “Listen, she’s a _tribrid_ , and like the most powerful witch on campus. She told me to stop doing your work for you or I’d regret it.”

Sam glowered at him. “Get. Out.”

The boy scampered away, slamming the door shut behind him. Sam fumed. How _dare_ she meddle in his business? He’d make her pay right now if he wasn’t concerned it would jeopardize his chances of sneaking out tonight. He’d have to come up with something later. Tribrid or not, he wasn’t scared of some teenage girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of you said you picture Sam to look like River Phoenix and I did some googling and tbh I could not agree more.   
> [so here's a picture I liked.](https://www.biography.com/.image/t_share/MTQ5MzU3MjIxOTY3MzA4NDcw/phoenix.jpg)  
> [And here's another one.](http://img23.fansshare.com/media/content1/570_was-river-phoenix-a-full-blown-junkie-1054.jpg)


	10. Stay Around

“I don’t know, you guys…” MG said slowly. Sam groaned.

“You don’t have to participate. Just come along for the ride. Get to know your new friends.” He reasoned hopefully. He couldn’t risk MG staying behind, getting a guilty conscience, and ratting them out. And he seemed like the guilty-conscience-having type.

“I just got here. I’m not looking to get kicked out. Dad would kill me.”

“Well, you’re already dead so…”

“ _Thanks_ for the reminder.” MG muttered sarcastically.

 “It’ll be like, a couple of hours at most. No one will even notice.” Kaleb assured him, “And you don’t have to drink from the vein if you don’t want to.”

“I support it though?” Sam added, “You’re _vampires_. You weren’t made to sip from blood bags for eternity, living in fear.”

Kaleb smirked, “He makes a good case. Come on, MG, live a little.”

With a little bit of coaxing, they convinced MG to see things their way. The three of them slipped out of the building easily. Sam had spent weeks getting to know the layout of the school and finding the best routes for sneaking around unnoticed. A large majority of the time, he enjoyed being the center of attention but there were many times he needed to stay under the radar.

The car was out in the back parking lot, and the ran with purpose now, under the cover of darkness. Triumphantly, they climbed into the car, and even MG was celebratory at their success so far. Sam put the key into the ignition, and the car sputtered for a moment, and promptly died.

“You’re kidding me.” Sam growled. He slapped the steering wheel.

A tap on the window beside him nearly scared him out of his skin. He looked around and scowled at who he saw on the other side. He threw open the door, not bothering to wait for her to move.

“What in the _hell_ did you do to my car?” he demanded.  She met his glare with a completely calm expression.

Kaleb stepped out of the passenger side. “Hope, come on, we’re just going out to blow off some steam.”

“Then why all the sneaking around?” she asked casually.

“Why is it any of your business?” Sam snarled impatiently, “Undo whatever you did to the car. Or I swear I’ll-“

“You’ll leave her alone, is what you’ll do.” Said Avery’s voice as he stepped out from behind a parked van. Of course he’d be close by.

“Your eyes.” Hope said suddenly. “They changed. Like…”

Sam’s rage was replaced with anxiety in an instant. Now was not the time for anyone to find out about that. He tried to keep his voice even. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sam, we’re going back inside. Come on.” Avery said sternly. “I don’t know what you’re doing but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing good. You’re lucky Hope found _me_ , and not one of the staff.”

Ah, there was the rage again. “Leave. Me. Alone.” He ground out. Kaleb and MG were both standing beside him now, looking uncertain.

“Let’s just call it a night.” Kaleb tried to reason with him. “We got caught. Game over.”

“Your eyes…they’re doing it again.” Hope said. He couldn’t reel it back in. Avery started towards him, like an idiot, and Sam backed away. If he wolfed out now, he couldn’t guarantee Avery’s safety. The rest of them could go to hell, but he’d like to spare his brother.

Sam turned and sprinted out of the parking lot, and felt himself transform before his feet hit the grass. They saw. He knew they saw. On all fours now, he bounded away as fast as his legs would carry him before the wolf tried to turn back.

\--

Hope, MG, and Kaleb all stared after him in a state of shock. Avery sighed, shaking his head. It was only a matter of time. Samael hadn’t had a chance to in recent months to work on control.

“He…he said he was untriggered.”

“He lied.” Avery shrugged, “Well, we both did, I guess. I just wanted to protect him.”

“He looks pretty capable of protecting himself.” Hope stated. “He can change at will. Do you know who his father was?”

He didn’t have time for this. He needed to go after Sam. “We don’t know. Our mom told us that his dad was a werewolf. That’s all the information we were given.”

“His dad had to have been a Crescent wolf. They’re the only pack I know of that can control their transformations. Did your mom ever visit New Orleans?”

Avery shrugged again. He didn’t think she ever had, but what did he know? Her explanation made sense anyway.

“Jesus.” Kaleb said in disbelief. “Why didn’t he tell anyone?”

“Our knowledge of his wolf side was…limited.” Avery admitted sheepishly. “We didn’t really know how it all worked, aside from what we were told by our mom and aunt. But we knew enough to know that his abilities weren’t normal. He didn’t know how people would react.”

He could see a hint of understanding in her expression. Surely she, of all people, knew how it felt to be seen some kind of freak.

“I need to go get him.” Avery said, “I’ll do a quick tracking spell. I need to find him before…” he trailed off. _Before he hurts someone._ He knew he wouldn’t get there in time though. He never did.

“We’ll help.” Kaleb offered.

“You’re vampires. He could kill you without being able to stop himself.” Hope told Kaleb and MG. “Go back inside. _Please._ ” She added the last bit at Kaleb’s annoyed glare.

“She’s right. Let me take care of this. Just… _please_ don’t say anything to anyone. I’ll get him to tell Dr. Saltzman himself in the morning.”

Reluctantly, both vampires nodded and went back to the school. Hope stood her ground.

“You can go too.” Avery said dismissively. “I need to concentrate.”

He grabbed the keys from the ignition of the car and popped the trunk. Inside was his “emergency stash” of materials for a basic locator spell, and a large amount of salt, should he ever need to find and contain his brother on the go. He grabbed everything out and laid them on the hood of the car.

“You’ll find him faster if we combine our power.”

“I’ll find him just fine on my own.” Avery said tensely. She made no move to go back into the building. He sighed, “What do you want?”

“He needs to tell Dr. Saltzman.”

“He will. I’ll talk to him about it myself.”

“He needs to do it _soon.”_ She emphasized. “He’s putting everyone in danger running around unchecked like this. Dr. Saltzman needs to know. He can help him, Avery. He helped me control my anger.”

“He’ll tell him by the end of the week, okay? I swear. Now please, just go. I need to go get him on my own.” He pleaded. He couldn’t afford to have Hope see whatever mess Sam managed to get himself into.

“If he doesn’t, I’ll go to Dr. Saltzman myself.” She warned.

“Fine.” Provided she lived to see the end of the week once Sam returned. That was going to be a whole different obstacle. She finally backed off, and wished him luck in finding his brother. Relieved, Avery set to work on his spell, smoothing out a map of the area and lighting candles. He took a small knife sliced his hand open, letting the blood spatter on the map. At least they shared their mother’s blood, making these spells a little easier. After a few rounds of chanting the spell, the blood finally made a trail to a wooded area not far from there. He gathered up his belongings and threw them in the passenger seat.

He also unspelled the car’s engine. That had been his doing weeks ago, not Hope’s. No way was he going to risk Sam having access to a moving vehicle.

“Okay, you irritating little mongrel.” He muttered, starting the car. “Let’s see what mess we have to clean up now.”


	11. Silence

Sam lay soaked in blood once more on the floor of some cabin. He groaned. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he knew he’d killed the inhabitants of this place. Groggily, he pulled himself to his feet and went to the bedroom to see if the man had any clothes that would fit. The dead guy wouldn’t be needing them anyway.

He expected Avery to track him down eventually. He dragged the first body out of the cabin and onto a fire pit nearby. Methodically, he went to work on starting a fire and let her body start burning. He grimaced. He didn’t have all night to do this, and didn’t want to risk his absence being discovered at school.

He walked back into the cabin to survey the damage. The clock on the wall showed 1am, so he hadn’t been asleep too long. Outside, he heard the distinct crunch of tires rolling over gravel. He peered cautiously through the blinds and recognized the car. Right on schedule.

* * *

 

_“Well…they’re getting closer to the truth.” Elijah commented. Klaus hated that he couldn’t touch anything as a ghost. He felt like throwing things._

_“My son…might be an idiot. And he is going to ruin any chance they have of finding out the truth before the week is up.” Klaus said in annoyance. “There must be something we can do. How did we appear before?”_

_“We were dying. I assume we still had a strong enough foothold in this world. Now…not so much.”_

_Klaus hated it. He had no experience being a mere spectator, forced to watch everything play out without his intervening. Both of his children needed help and he was powerless. His son was repeating his own mistakes one by one, and he could only look on and hope for a miracle._

* * *

 

Avery dragged the second body to the fire pit before turning to Sam in annoyance.

“Well, I hope you’re happy. Now three people know you’re a wolf, and Hope is going to tell Dr. Saltzman if you don’t.” Avery snapped. Sam looked down at his feet.

“We just have to leave then.” Sam said with finality.

“No. We don’t. I’m not giving up what we have here.”

“Then _I’ll_ leave. You can stay here with your stupid friends and your stupid girlfriend.”

“No. You’re staying. We’re going to fix this. You’re going to fix this, because you can’t run from your problems forever.”

“I can try.” Sam muttered. But Avery was right, though he hated to admit it. And he was tired of not really belonging anywhere. He was so tired.

They finished cleaning up as best they could. Someone would know the couple here had been murdered, but hopefully they couldn’t make any connections.

It was close to three in the morning when they returned to campus, exhausted and weighted down with all of the things that needed to be done. It was now Saturday, Dr. Saltzman was not on campus, which was a good thing for Sam. It gave him time to find Hope and talk her out of outing him.

When Sam woke late the next morning, there was already someone pounding at the door of their room.

“You get it.” Avery grumbled from his bed, “It’s your fault we were up so late last night.”

The knocking continued.

“Fine. FINE!” Sam shouted, throwing himself from his bed. “Hang on a minute.”

He threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and audibly groaned when he discovered Hope on the other side of the door.

“I want to talk about last night.”

“Avery filled me in on your conditions.” Sam said immediately. He started to close the door but she magically thrust it open, sending him back a couple of feet.

She paraded into the room like she owned the place. But to be fair based on what Sam had heard from Josie Saltzman on the amount of money Hope’s dad and surviving siblings put into the school, maybe she did.

“You can’t be in here. There’s rules or something. I have a student handbook…somewhere.”

“Please, like you’ve ever opened it.” Hope rolled her eyes.

He hadn’t. It was still in its shrink wrap.

“ _What_ did you need to talk about?” he asked tensely.

Her expression softened, just a little bit. “I want to help you. I’m part of the Crescent wolf pack. I told your brother I think that’s the pack you’re connected to. I…I could help you find your father.”

Sam considered the offer for a moment. He looked over at Avery, who had not yet moved from bed but had his head prompted up on his elbow, listening intently.

They’d found Avery’s father once. A good-for-nothing lowlife who’d known the entire time he had a son, and didn’t care.

In perhaps the most selfless act he’d ever committed, Sam shook his head. They were all each other had. It wouldn’t be fair for Sam to find something else and leave his brother with no one.

“Hard pass. I’m all good, actually.” Sam said nonchalantly, surprising her. “And I’m just so busy? Avery’s birthday is around the corner and I’ve yet to get him a present.”

Hope furrowed her brow, “You’re not the least bit curious to know your father?”

“’Fraid not. He probably wasn’t that great anyway if he left mom. But hey, thanks for the offer.” Sam smiled. “Was that all?”

“Uhhh, yeah. I guess. Avery told you everything else? You have a deadline, Sam.” She crossed her arms, looking quite serious.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, you’re a dictator and I’m forced to comply or you out me to Saltzman yourself. Bye, Hope. Feel free to not drop by in the future.”

She looked like she wanted to say more, but thought better of it, and left the room. Sam could feel Avery’s eyes on him, but refused to look in his direction.

“You _could_ have been nicer. She was just trying to help.” Avery said, sitting up fully now.

“It’d be more helpful if she’d drop this whole werewolf thing completely. I don’t need a _father_ , I need privacy. And someone to do my algebra for me. And a date to the Valentine’s day dance. In that order.”

“What about Lizzie Saltzman? I thought you’d made progress.”

“Very hot and cold. Mostly cold these days. I suspect even colder when word gets out about me.” Lizzie had spoken to him intermittently since that day in the kitchen, but any attempts by him to move past friendship were met with a brick wall.

Not that he minded terribly. Lizzie seemed to understand him in ways other people did not some days. He almost considered her a friend, and he couldn’t really say that about most people.

* * *

 

Monday morning rolled around, and once again, there was a knock at the door. Hope Mikaelson was relentless.

“So are you going to get it over with today, or are you really going to take a full seven days.”

“I could kill you and bury your body in the woods.” Sam offered as an alternative, “And put all of this behind me.”

“You could _try._ ” She said with a laugh. Absolutely infuriating.

“Whatever, let’s just go. Avery?” he motioned for his brother to follow and hardly waited before storming out the door to make his way to Dr. Saltzman’s office.

He’d had all weekend to think of what he needed to say. He just had to say it. And then probably get kicked out because he was pretty sure the way he triggered his curse was unacceptable by the school’s standards. Even leaving out all of the deaths he’d caused since then, he wasn’t sure they’d still want him there.

But maybe they’d let Avery stay. They had to.

He impatiently knocked on Dr. Saltzman’s door. “Come in.” he said from the other side.

“You two can wait here.” He told Avery and Hope. He certainly didn’t need an audience.

Sam walked inside, fueled by adrenaline and ready to get it over with, and told Dr. Saltzman everything he knew…except for the part where he hunted down and murdered people in the mountains for two years. He left that detail out.

Dr. Saltzman sent Sam out, called Hope in, and then twenty minutes later he called Sam back in again.

“So Hope thinks your father is a Crescent wolf?” Dr. Saltzman asked.

“I guess.” Sam shrugged. “Am I kicked out or not?”

“Why would we kick you out?” Dr. Saltzman asked. “I’m not saying I agree that you should have killed the coven elder but…it’s understandable.”

Sam hated to admit he was relieved by this news. Saltzman continued.

“So your mother might have been in New Orleans during a full moon?”

“Is that important? I just told you I’m definitely a triggered werewolf and I can change at will and you want to know what my mom was doing fifteen years ago?”

“It’s important, because fifteen years ago the Crescent wolves were still under a curse that forced them to stay in wolf form until the moon was full. Then they returned to human form.” Sam was stunned by that information. “The curse was broken by the time you’d triggered your werewolf gene. So unless she was there during a full moon, she could have met someone from the pack who wasn’t triggered, which is a bit rarer for adult men with the werewolf gene, admittedly.”

“I really don’t care-”

“Well, _we_ care because if it’s not the Crescents you’re from, then there’s another pack running around with your ability. That should be looked into.”

“I’m going to get some of my friends from the Crescent pack to ask around.” Hope said. “You don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to.  We just want to be sure.”

She stood up and left without another word. Sam’s blood boiled. “That is a _major_ violation of my privacy!” he shouted, leaping to his feet. Avery got to his feet as well and placed a hand on Sam’s arm, trying to gently remind him not to lose his temper. Especially not here in Dr. Saltzman’s office.

“If you’re _not_  from that pack, and there are others like you, we need to know. We need to find them.” Dr. Saltzman reasoned. Sam continued to glare daggers at Dr. Saltzman.

“This is stupid. A complete waste of time. Find out whatever you want about me then. I don’t want to know my father.” He reiterated. He shrugged Avery's hand away and stalked off to be alone. Everything was so infuriating suddenly. Blinded by rage, he turned a corner and crashed into Lizzie Saltzman.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't think of a name for this chapter (and I've been using song titles and wanted to stick with that but I'm running out of ideas lol) so I'll come back and name it later.

Sam took several steps back.

“Lizzie.” He said abruptly. For a moment, he forgot how mad he was. But not even Lizzie could distract him now. “Sorry. You know I live to see your smiling face every day-”

“Don’t ever say anything like that to me again.” She interrupted, not smiling at all.

“But I think I’m going to burn this entire building to the ground if I don’t get outside right now.” He started to push past her and that’s when Miss Forbes rounded the corner, reading a message on her phone as she walked.

“Well, let’s try and refrain from that.” She said cheerfully. “Samael. Just the person I’m looking for.”

“I’ve answered all of Saltzman’s questions. You’ll find him in his office, along with Avery, who is a traitor.” Sam said impatiently, desperate to disappear. “They’ll get you up to speed.”

“What’s going on?” Lizzie asked. Sam swallowed hard. Nope. Not today.

“I can’t do this right now.” He said quickly. He breezed past both of them, breaking out into almost a run. He didn’t stop until he got outside and collapsed on the grass. They were going to find his father, whether he wanted it to happen or not. The information would be right there, and he wouldn’t be able to resist knowing for himself. He knew he couldn’t.

He wasn’t sure how long he was there before he heard Avery speaking to him.

“It’s okay to want to know.”

“Go away.”

“Right, sorry, you’re busy having an existential crisis on the front lawn of the school. I’ll make an appointment.” Avery said sarcastically.

“That’d be great.”

“Get your ass up.” Avery said, using _that voice_ that carried authority. He knew full well that it was annoying.

“No.”

“What the _hell_ was that about?”

Sam leapt to his feet. Lizzie was standing before him with her hands on her hips. He avoided her eyes. “Listen. I’m having a bad day.”

“So you think that’s a good excuse to just blow me off in the hallway? _And_ be super disrespectful to my mom, the headmistress?”

“I’m gonna go find Hope.” Avery said, giving himself a very quick way out of the conversation. Sam held back several expletives as Avery waved goodbye to them both and retreated into the building.

“What’s going on?” Lizzie asked, a little more gently this time. “No one will tell me anything.”

“Can we sit down somewhere?”

So they walked a little bit away from the school and found a bench where thankfully no one else was around.

“You’re missing class.”

“So are you.” She points out.

He finally tells her everything. Almost everything. Everything that he can say without feeling the shame start to creep up.

He wasn’t sure Lizzie would listen, or even understand most of it. She had her own problems, she surely did not need to listen to Sam’s too.

But she did, somehow.

“So that’s the big secret?” She asked, incredulously, “That’s not that much of a secret.”

“It went better than I thought it would.” Sam said reluctantly. “They want to find out who my father is though.” And his face makes it perfectly clear to her that this is not good news.

“Don’t you want family?”

“I have family.” He said firmly. “I have my brother. I don’t need anyone else.”

“You’re being dumb.”

That seemed to be the general consensus lately. “Yeah. Maybe. It doesn’t sound quite as bad coming from you.”

She rolled her eyes and made a face.

* * *

 

It was the weekend before Valentines Day, Avery had just turned seventeen, Hope was still determined to ruin Sam’s life as he knew it. The dance was tonight and Sam only care about the fact that he _knew_ Lizzie did not have a date. “How do I look?” he asked Avery from the mirror.

“You’re gonna look great being rejected.”

It was as close to a compliment as he would ever get.

Later on, at the dance, Sam is scanning the crowd for Lizzie and having absolutely no luck.

“Hey. I need to talk to you.” Hope appeared, as she seemed to do at the least convenient times.

“I’m busy.” He said, not even glancing in her direction.

“I didn’t find any leads with the Crescent wolves. I don’t think your father is from that pack.” She paused for a moment, to let the information sink in, “I need some of your blood for a spell.”

“Absolutely _not._ I’m not helping you with this.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Listen, just five minutes okay? And then you can get right back to making yourself look stupid for Lizzie. Which, by the way, your strategy is all wrong.”

Sam finally looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Lizzie never goes for the guys that throw themselves at her. She always picks the difficult-to-obtain ones.”

Sam scoffs. “I don’t _throw myself at-”_

“You do. It’s hard to watch. Anyway, the blood.” She held up a small knife and a vial. “It’ll be quick, in case you’re squeamish or something.”

“I am not squeamish.” He followed her out into the hallway, away from the crowd of students and held out wrist. With no warning, she slices into his skin and holds the vial out to catch the blood now pouring freely. “By all means, bleed me dry.”

“Shut up, you’ll heal fast anyw—oh, you’re…you’re already healing.” She frowned, as the cut started to become smaller almost with every passing second.

“Yeah. I’m a werewolf. It’s a thing. You know this already, now can I get back inside?” he asked impatiently. Hope is still staring at his wrist, but she nods.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure, go ahead. Thanks, Sam.” She says quickly. “Your brother is helping me with the rest.”

Sam had about a thousand different things to say to that but ultimately decided that he didn't have the time to be angry. “Knock yourselves out.”

He turned and went back to the dance and Lizzie stood just inside the doorway glaring at him. “What are you doing with _Hope_ out in the hall?”

Completely blindsided, he blinked at her several times, as if she might be a hallucination. “Wait, what? Why do you care?”

“You weren’t even there when I arrived. I was trying to _make an entrance_ and you ruined it.”

“How did I-”

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the dance floor. “Just come on.”

Well, at least Hope had done something good for him, it seemed.

* * *

 

“How does this work, exactly?” Avery asked Hope. She’d needed to draw from another source of power and well, he and Rowan were bored with the school dance anyway. “We don’t have to do this tonight, you know. You set foot in there all of three seconds, just to get him to give you some blood.”

Hope looked away, “Yeah, it’s not really my thing.”

He remembered it hadn’t even been a year since she’d lost so many of her loved ones. He remembered there were days after his mom died that he wanted to shut the world out forever. Avery nodded understandingly.

“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject right away, “It’s more or less a magical paternity test. The blood will write out the name while I’m doing the spell. I just need you to do it with me so we can combine our power.”

“And then what? Track him down, demand to know his secrets?” Rowan asked curiously.

“That’s the plan.”

Hope spilled the blood on the piece of paper and began chanting a spell in latin, and Avery joined in once he had the words memorized. Both had their eyes closed in concentration, while Rowan watched the blood begin to slowly draw cursive letters across the page. Her curious expression changed to confusion and then shock as they chanted.

“Guys…” she whispered as the blood started on the surname. “ _You guys._  I think it’s safe to stop. I uhm…I think we got our answer.”

Avery’s eyes flew open first, and he looked down at the page. They hadn’t quite finished, but the blood had spelled out _Niklaus Mikael-_ on the paper. “Hope, you didn’t like…accidentally get your blood mixed into his, did you?”

Hope stared down at the page, speechless. “No.” she looked up at Avery. “Oh my god.” She said in a hushed voice.

“We…we have to tell him. Like now.” Avery said. “Hope, it seems we share a brother.”


	13. Hey brother

“You put your hand here.” Lizzie placed Sam’s right hand firmly on her waist, and narrowed her eyes, “And it _stays_ there.”

“I would never dream of moving it.” He had a very real fear that she would cut it his hand off if he did such a thing.

He had not been prepared for a romantic-type song to come on, but Lizzie seemed unfazed by all of this. He couldn’t figure out why his confidence had suddenly taken a nosedive.

“Why are you so quiet?” Lizzie asked, “You’re never quiet.  Ever.”

“I’m told it’s my worst quality.” Sam admitted. “But honestly? I never dreamed you’d want to be here with me.”

“Maybe you’re not… _that_ annoying. Sometimes.”

She was close enough to kiss, but he was suddenly having immense trouble working up the nerve to do so. Just when he thought might actually manage it, the song ended. Wasted opportunity, once again.

They walked off the dance floor just as Avery and Rowan were rushing towards him. What could they possibly want now?

“Sam, we need to talk to you. In private.” Avery said, grabbing his brother’s arm and starting to pull him to the door. Sam ripped his arm away.

“What? No way. It can wait. I’m actually having a good time.”

“You’ll want to hear this.” Avery said. The look in his eyes told Sam it was something big. But he was well aware that it must be something to do with his lineage, and he wasn’t certain he wanted to go down that path.

“Tomorrow.”

“ _Tonight._ Right now. Lizzie can come too if she wants. If you want her to.”

Sam looked from Avery to Lizzie. She shrugged. “I guess.”

At least there was that small consolation. He followed Avery and Rowan to the dorms, and realized they’d reached Hope’s room.

“Where’s Hope?” he asked.

“She went to get Dr. Saltzman, and Miss Forbes.” Avery said. Sam picked a framed photograph on Hope’s dresser. He recognized the two men that had appeared to him at the cabin, of course, but he recognized two other faces as well.

“Hey Avery, remember that man and woman from the morning after I turned for the first time?” He showed his brother the photograph.

“Yeah, I asked her about that already. That’s her aunt Rebekah, and Rebekah’s fiancé, Marcel. She also called Marcel her sort-of-brother.”

“Excuse me?”

“She said it’s a long story. Anyway…she should be back soon. We should wait.”

“Why do we care if Hope gets to be here for whatever big announcement you guys have?” Lizzie asked with a frown. She hardly made an effort to hide her jealousy when it came to Hope.

“Just trust us.” Avery assured her.

Finally, Hope came back with Dr. Saltzman and Miss Forbes. “Can someone please tell us what’s going on now?” Miss Forbes said impatiently. “Lizzie, what are you doing here?”

“Moral support.” Lizzie said, grabbing Sam’s hand. He felt as though he’d been shocked. She shot him a look. “As your best _friend._ ” She emphasized ‘friend’ quite a bit.

“We’re best friends now?” He was good with that. That was a step in the direction he wanted. And at least she was a best friend who didn’t mind going to a school dance with him. Plus, he’d never really had a _real_ friend other than Avery. And Avery was kind of forced to put up with him.

“Of course we are. Don’t be stupid.”

“ _Anyway.”_ Hope said, calling attention back to the matter at hand. “I told Dr. Saltzman I’d keep him updated on what I found out. And I originally told Sam I wouldn’t tell him anything unless he really wanted to know but…circumstances have changed.”

“If you’re about to say I’m the anti-christ, child of Satan and all that, I want you to know that Avery has already been over that theory.” Sam joked, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Hope, Avery, and even Rowan all looked so damn serious.

“Well, you’re getting warmer.” Hope said with a reluctant smile, “Sam…we know who your father is. Was.”

“Was? Like, as in, he’s dead already?” Sam didn’t expect to feel disappointed. He hadn’t really expected—or wanted—to feel any sort of way about it. “Well, that’s…unfortunate.”

What was the point of telling him anything then? Why did it matter? Anger started to take hold. He tried to shove the emotion back down. Surely there was a good reason for this.

“Please tell me, that whatever you’re about to divulge, is very god damn important.” Sam found himself whispering. He clutched Lizzie’s hand a little tighter. If this was what best friends were for, he found it very helpful so far.

“Sam, we have the same dad.” Hope said finally. He stared at her, not quite sure he understood the words she’d just said. They were English, for sure. But they were nonsense. He blinked, and looked at the pictures of her family on her dresser.

Her family. His family? No, none of this made sense.

“Wait…really?” Miss Forbes asked, “Klaus has a _son_?”

“Looks to be that way.” Hope said, she looked at Sam, “Listen, I don’t think he knew about you…”

“When did he die?” Sam asked suddenly. The date mattered. It was important. Hope told him the exact day immediately.

The same day Sam’s aunt had died. The same day Klaus Mikaelson, _his father,_ had appeared to him. If he didn’t know, how could he have managed that? How could any of this be happening right now?

“I think…I think I need air.” Sam said to no one in particular. There were too many people in here. Too many pairs of eyes looking at him.

“Sam…” he vaguely registered Lizzie’s voice. Then he realized there were several voices saying his name.

He turned and walked out of the room and down the hall. He paused for a moment at the stairs. He didn’t realize he was still holding Lizzie’s hand until he was mildly surprised to see her standing beside him.

“Huh. I guess Hope’s not the only tribrid anymore.” Lizzie said. He looked at her, and she quickly looked away, “Sorry. God. That was dumb to say.”

“No, it’s fine.” He said quickly. “Say whatever. Keep saying things.”

He finally decided to let go of her hand though, and started down the stairs.

“Kinda glad you let go of my hand, not gonna lie. Your grip is like, really strong. I thought it was the werewolf thing, but now I’m guessing it’s _also_ the vampire blood thing.” She looked back over her shoulder as she followed him down the stairs, “I’m pretty sure they think you kidnapped me.”

“Oh my god I have vampire blood.”

“Yeah, you can heal yourself, and other people, and turn other people-”

“I can make hybrids.”

“Okay, slow down.” Lizzie said. They’d reached the main door now. Sam pushed it open and stepped outside, inhaling deeply. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. Hope is your _sister_. And you kind of just ditched everyone.”

“Yeah.”

“We should probably go back in a minute.”

“And do what? Have a happy family reunion? Hope and I barely get along to begin with. Throw in sibling rivalry and the inevitable jealousy I’m sure I’m going to fall victim to once it fully hits me that _she_ got to know him and I didn’t, we’re doomed.”

“Sounds like it’s already hit you.”

“Well, I’m processing a lot right now. One thing at a time, like you said.”

* * *

 

“Someone should go after them, right?” Rowan asked, breaking the long silence.

Hope and Avery looked at each other, knowing they were probably the most logical candidates for the task.

“I feel a little bad for thinking he’s so annoying.” Hope admitted.

“Don’t feel bad. He’s annoying. And once he processes this and what it means for his abilities, that’ll probably increase ten-fold.”

Caroline was shaking her head in disbelief. “He’s Klaus’s _son?”_ she said again, completely blindsided. “I mean, when you think about it, he looks like him.”

Her eyes trailed to the photographs in Hope’s room. Hope followed her gaze. Miss Forbes was right. She didn’t know how she never saw it before.

Caroline drew in a breath sharply, causing everyone to turn back to her, “Oh, and _Lizzie’s_ with him. I should go. Like right now.” She took off before anyone could stop her.

Dr. Saltzman looked a little conflicted. “I’m gonna…I’m gonna follow her. You’re all welcome to join us.”

He left the room as well. Avery told Hope about the apparition Sam had seen the day their aunt died. That was still a mystery. How could Klaus and Elijah have appeared to Sam if they never knew he existed? How could they have instructed him to come here?

And how could Avery contact them to get some answers?


	14. Growing Pains

“No, you’re saying it wrong. Try again.” Lizzie instructed.

They were sitting by the water fountain outside the main entrance, and Lizzie was trying to teach Sam a spell to ice it over. It was a welcome distraction from the news he’d just received, but he couldn’t focus his power to save his life right now.

“I told you, I’m no good at this. Random bursts of raw power are all I really got to work with. I never tried to actually control it.”

“But there’s so much power. I can sense it every time you’re close. It’s crazy. You’re almost as powerful as Hope.”

“ _Almost_?” That was a little disappointing. “And what do you mean you can sense it?”

She gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. She’s just a bit more powerful. Apparently it’s a whole ‘first born witch’ thing in your family. You were born just a few months too late.” She grinned at his obvious annoyance. “Anyway, since I’m a siphon, I can sense sources of magic. You radiate magic like crazy.”

“I think I’ll just become a vampire.”

“Sam, no.” Lizzie smacked his arm. “That’s crazy.”

“No, I’ve thought about it. It makes sense, especially now. I’m not like Hope. I’ll never be like Hope. Why try to be?”

“That doesn’t mean you should give up magic completely. Or...living.”

In his mind though, it made sense. He had no connection to his father right now. At least as a vampire, he could kind of feel like he was connected to him. Like he was carrying on something meaningful.

“Listen, Hope has two aunts and an uncle still alive. You still need to meet that part of your family. Avoid doing anything too rash.”

“If you insist.”

He said the spell again, and finally a thin layer of ice spread across the surface of the fountain. Lizzie applauded. “Looks like you’re not a total lost cause after all.”

“I had a decent teacher.”

It had gotten late in the evening. The dance had started to wrap up, which honestly, he’d forgotten all about. Suddenly those things didn’t matter so much anymore.

“You should talk to Hope.” Lizzie said quietly, “I mean, she’s your sister. You should get to know her.”

Sam’s gaze hardened, “I’m all set in the sibling department.”

“Avery went to all that trouble to help her find out who your dad is. I don’t think he’ll be offended if you want to learn more about your family.” It wasn’t fair that she knew immediately what the issue was.

They felt a gust of wind, and looked up to see Caroline Forbes standing by them. She looked at Sam, wide-eyed. “You know, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.” She said, “You look like him.”

“You knew him?” Sam asked.

“He donated like, a lot of money to the school.” Lizzie spoke for her mother, “and also mom had a crush on him.”

“Lizzie!” Caroline snapped out of her shock. She looked between the two of them, and looked at Sam suspiciously, “So how long have _you two_ been close?”

“Since Lizzie stopped telling me to go away every time I came within five feet of her. It only took a few weeks.” Sam said confidently.

“Yeah, you’re his son.” Caroline muttered under her breath, though amused in spite of herself.

* * *

Why did it have to be _that_ boy? Hope found herself thinking. She wasn’t against having a sibling. But why did it need to be the one kid in the entire school whom she was certain was already half-way to being a maniacal villain?

Ugh.

Still, her dad would want her to try to reach out to him. She checked the time, it was nearly 10:30 at night and they’d yet to have a proper conversation. He’d stormed off before she got a chance.

This wasn’t really going as planned. But then, is there really a plan for things like this?

“We could leave you to get some sleep.” Avery suggested to her, “And I’ll drag him here in the morning?”

“I’m pretty sure he hates me.” She smiled weakly.

“No, you just stand up to him. He’s not a fan of that.” Avery paused, looking a little uncertain, and then said the nicest thing she’d ever heard him say about Sam. “You’ll never find anyone more loyal though. Just give him a chance.”

Avery and Rowan left. Hope had a lot to do. Mainly, she needed to call Freya, Rebekah, and Kol to alert them to the new developments. She could only imagine what each of them would have to say about this. That was almost fun to think about. She missed them too, and kind of liked the fact that this might bring them all back together since the death of her father and uncle Elijah. But that could wait until morning, at least until after she talked to Sam herself. The kid she seemed to always catch trying to break the rules or coax someone into doing things for him. Is that what she would have been like if she hadn't had quite so many good influences? If her father hadn't been so hellbent on her being better than he had been?

He'd want Samael to be better. She was sure of that. She just wasn't sure Sam himself would want to be better. Mikaelsons are known for their stubbornness, after all. 

* * *

 

_Klaus and Elijah had watched the events unfold, and they both had to admit things could have gone better. They understood both Mikaelson children were headstrong, to say the least, and this would not be an easy endeavor. Surely with the help of Alaric, Caroline, and even the childrens' friends, things could improve._

_“Well, he’s volatile.” Elijah reassured Klaus. “He just needs time."_

_"I suppose."_

_"And I've never known Hope to back down from a challenge." Elijah added, and Klaus smiled proudly at that._

_The most truly enjoyable part of the evening was watching Caroline’s face as she realized that her daughter’s new best friend was none other than Klaus’s own son. The universe had an odd sense of humor._

_They’d checked in on Sam, and Hope, and now lastly they followed Avery to his room after he bid his girlfriend farewell. There, instead of going to sleep, they watched him pour over grimoires and take notes. He didn’t stop until Sam finally came in the room, at which point he hastily put everything away. Elijah managed to see that he’d been studying a book on the afterlife—and all of its forms—particularly a chapter on Bonnie Bennett and her involvement with the Other Side. This…would be something to keep an eye on. There might be more going on in Avery's mind than he was willing to share._


	15. Chapter 15

The following day, Sam and Hope met up at a café in Mystic Falls. She was already there when he arrived, talking to the boy taking orders.

“Oh, here he is now. Landon, this is my brother, Sam.” She said to the boy. “Sam, did you want anything?”

Sam shrugged, entirely too anxious to think about food. Hope didn’t seem nearly as nervous as he felt. But Sam was currently running through the list of awful things he’d done and how she’d probably shun him the moment she found out.

“Just make it two milkshakes.” Hope told Landon.

“Sure. Nice to meet you, Sam.”  Landon walked away. Sam watched him disappear to the kitchen.

“You told him about me?”

“Only that I have a long lost half-brother and now we’re going to drink milkshakes and pretend any of this is normal.”

“What was he like? Your dad.” _Our dad._ “I mean, I’ve read…things.”

She pursed her lips, looking uncertain on how to proceed. “He had a difficult past. He…tried to do better in the end.”

“So you forgive all of that? The thousand years of violence?”

“He was…never the villain in my life.” She said carefully. “I made peace with his past years ago. He was honest about it.”

Landon came back and handed them their milkshakes, and spent too long asking Hope how her school year was going and what her plans were for the summer. Hope didn’t seem to mind. Once he left again, Sam smirked. “You like him.”

“That is _not_ what we’re talking about right now.”

“What’s the point of having a sister if I can’t tease her about her crushes?” He took a drink from the milkshake. “This…is delicious.”

She laughed.

“Peanut-butter blast, whipped cream on the bottom. It’s my favorite. You couldn’t possibly be my brother if you didn’t like it.”

Maybe he didn’t hate this girl as much as he thought. Slowly, he started to tell her about his life—still just the parts where he hadn’t killed a bunch of people—and she told him about hers. She’d definitely had a hell of a childhood. He’d been so jealous of her at first, because she’d known their family for years, but he realized that he’d inherited the legacy with none of the enemies. For fifteen years, at least. That could definitely change now if they went public with this discovery.

And that part of him that craved power and notoriety definitely _wanted_ to spread the word. But he felt Hope might frown on that sort of thing.

“Hey, so I’m gonna call my uncle. And both my aunts. Um. _Our_ uncle, and aunts. I’m sure they’ll want to meet you. Are you ready for that?”

He wasn’t quite sure he was, but he nodded anyway. They might as well get the awkward family reunion over with sooner rather than later.

* * *

 

“I’m just doing research.” Avery muttered.

“You said that this morning too. It’s been hours, Avery. What could you possibly be researching?”  Rowan tried to peek at the stack of paper he’d been writing notes on, but he quickly covered it with a book. He looked up at her with an easygoing smile.

“It’s nothing. Extra credit.”

“You’re a straight A student. You don’t need extra credit.” She said suspiciously, “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Not yet. But later, I promise. When I’m sure it’ll work.” He said, “You’ll only try and talk me out of it.”

“That’s all the more reason for you to tell me right now.”

He grimaced. She wasn’t going to give in. He checked the time. Hope and Sam probably wouldn’t be back for a while. He’s more or less forced them to go somewhere off the grounds to talk about things. He needed to focus. “Close the door.”

Rowan did so, and sat down on his bed, waiting for an explanation.

He took a deep breath, and flipped open one of the books on his desk and handed it to her. “Several years ago, a witch named Bonnie Bennett destroyed the other side, and brought back a bunch of people from the dead in the process while acting as an anchor between the two worlds. That form of the afterlife is gone, and all the supernatural creatures residing in it are gone…but plenty more have died since then. Where do they go? What if they haven’t found peace?”

“What, so you think there’s a new ‘Other Side’?” she asked.

“I think the afterlife that exists now is more blended with the living world. I think that’s why Sam was able to see his father that day.”

Rowan seemed confused. That made sense. What he was trying to replicate was nothing short of insane. “So you think they’re walking around, like among us? And you what do you plan to do? Contact Sam’s father?”

“More than that.” Avery smiled. “I think I can pull him back to our side.”

He needed to do this. If Sam still had a chance at having his father in his life, he would make that happen. Avery and Hope had had a long talk about what Klaus wanted for her in the end, and there was no doubt that would extend to Sam as well. But he wasn’t sure the dark path Sam had started down could be stopped by just finding out he had a sister.

He needed more drastic intervention.

He didn’t tell her that using his power to pull back an original vampire, of all things, might actually kill him.  It would definitely kill him, if his suspicions were correct. He would literally have to turn himself in to a gateway, and hope that he could withstand that much power passing through him. Bonnie Bennett had barely survived it, and none of the people she resurrected were original vampires.

There was probably a reason no one, including Hope, had tried such a thing. But he had a backup plan, and that simply involved Rowan’s blood. He’d wake up again, one way or another.

“I’m no expert but…that doesn’t sound safe.” Rowan said skeptically. He definitely couldn’t tell her everything yet. “Could you even survive magic like that?”

“Trust me on this.” Avery assured her, lying through his teeth. “It’ll be just fine.”

* * *

 

They finished up their drinks, and Hope paid for them both. She realized that Sam probably did not have a lot of cash. But then…that would change quite soon too. She had inherited a sizable fortune when her father died. She’d need to give Sam access to that as well.

There was so much to do.

They walked back to the school, and were standing out on the lawn when Hope said she was going to go ahead and call her uncle Kol. She started to dial his number when Sam put out a hand to stop her.

“Hope. I need to tell you something.” He said suddenly. “Before you tell the rest of your family about me.”

Of course. There had to be something. Nothing could ever just be simple. “What is it?”

“I’ve done some bad things.” He said softly. “And from what you’ve told me about your family, and who they are now, I don’t think they’d approve.”

“We’ve all done bad things.” Hope said. She worried though. She wondered what he could have possibly done in such a short time.

He said he’d killed people. He wasn’t even sure how many. In his wolf form, it was like all the rage and pain just mutated into one singular desire to hurt people.

He’d never wanted to stop until now. Until suddenly he might actually lose the family he’d just learned about.

He looked at her like he expected her to lash out at him, or walk away from him.

“You think none of them have done worse things? You think I haven’t killed anyone?” she asked him, “The guy I’m about to call used to kill and torture people for fun, Sam. Trust me, you’re not the only one with a rough past.”

“They’ve got you. They don’t need me and my baggage as well.” Same protested. “They’ll spend five minutes with me and want nothing to do with me.”

She actually laughed out loud at the idea. “Oh no. It doesn’t work like that.” She smiled, she couldn’t be sure whether her words were meant to be reassuring or foreboding. “Once a Mikaelson, always a Mikaelson. You’re stuck with us.”


	16. Doubt

Lizzie pushed what was left of her dinner around on her plate, and looked contemplative for a minute. “If Hope is your sister now, I guess that means I have to try to be nicer to her.”

“Well, she’s technically always been my sister.” Sam reminded her. “But yeah, maybe that’d be a good idea. Any hey, I’m nice to Josie.”

“That’s different. I’d set you on fire if you weren’t nice to Josie.”

That happened to be one of his favorite qualities about her, truth be told.

“Where is Josie, by the way? I never see her lately.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Penelope.” She wore a slight scowl when she said the name. Sam didn’t say anything about that. He actually didn’t think Penelope was that bad, and she really seemed to make Josie happy. But that was not a conversation he was going to bring up with Lizzie again. Any discussion of her sister’s relationship with the girl Lizzie despised even more than she had despised Hope was strictly off limits.

Sam was not unfamiliar with the feeling of being left out, once his brother started dating, so he could understand that. Lizzie was very much afraid of being left alone.

 “Hope says her family is descending upon Mystic Falls tomorrow.” She’d called them all and broke the news, and naturally they were curious. He was nervous, kind of. He hadn’t expected everything to happen so fast. And Avery had been strangely unavailable. Maybe he wanted to give Sam plenty of time to get to know his new family. It didn’t really feel right.

“Your family.” Lizzie corrected him.

“Yeah.” Still weird. Still definitely weird. They’d been back in class today and he’d barely been able to focus. No one else knew yet, but he felt like everyone could see right through him. He didn’t like being nervous.

He should track Avery down, and make him agree to be there tomorrow. “I’d better go.”

He was having too many feelings, and typically a show of emotion equals a show of weakness, and he did _not_ need the girl he liked to see him as weak.

Anyway.

Avery was being cryptic as hell, and Sam did not appreciate secrets that he wasn’t privy to.

The fact that Avery slammed a book shut when Sam walked into their bedroom did nothing to ease Sam’s suspicions.

“You’re being weird the past couple of days.” Sam accused, momentarily forgetting that he had planned to drag him along to this family reunion tomorrow. Starting a fight probably wouldn’t do much to ensure that Avery actually agreed.

“Well, you always think I’m weird so…”

“I mean more than usual.”

“No clue what you’re talking about. What are you doing back anyway? I thought I had the room to myself at least a little bit longer since you’ve gained Lizzie’s attention.”

“They’re coming tomorrow.”

Avery’s smirk disappeared. “I know.”

He didn’t need to ask Sam how he was feeling.

“I’m fine. It’s fine. If anything, I need to decide if _I_ even like _them._ It could all be a colossal waste of time. I already have you hounding me, I don’t need a collection of estranged relatives to start in on me as well.”

“At least get to know them, Sammy.”

“Come with me tomorrow.” Sam said, unable to find a less desperate way to shoehorn the request into the conversation. “I want you to be there.”

“Why? I don’t want to barge in on your time with your family.”

“ _You’re_ my family. I want them to know that. They have to understand that if this is ever going work.” He was fully prepared to scrap the entire idea of getting to know his new-to-him family if they excluded his brother.

* * *

 

The morning of her family’s arrival, to say Hope was excited was an understatement. She hadn’t seen them since the summer. Everyone had kind of gone off to grieve in their own way, and she understood, really she did, but it was lonely without them. She’d spent the better part of her life without Rebekah and Kol in person due to the Hollow, and now that they could physically be around, they seemed to be unable to look at her most of the time that summer.

Now, she was glad to have the excuse of a new-found-brother to sort of _force_ them all back together again. And she hadn’t even needed a _chamber de chasse_ this time around. They’d all committed to a solid week as well, to ensure there was plenty of time to catch up and welcome her brother into the family.

Rebekah and Marcel arrived first. She knew that apparently, Sam had somewhat met them by chance, but she hadn’t exactly told them that this was the same boy the encountered two years ago on a hike in the Appalachian mountains. She sort of wanted to see their reaction.

There was a less-used common area at the school that Dr. Saltzman had made off-limits for the rest of the day.

“So where is this kid? I’m just kind of picturing a mini-Klaus and I’m not loving the mental image.” Marcel said with a laugh. He wrapped Hope up in a bear hug. “Missed you though, kid.”

“He’ll be here soon. Avery—his brother—texted me. Said he’s a bit nervous.”

“Well, we probably could have avoided all arriving at once and terrifying the kid.” Came Kol’s voice from the doorway. Rebekah got to him first, embracing him and then Davina.

“Rebekah! You’re not human yet.”

“It’s on the list. I’ve still got a wedding to plan.” She grinned, “How am I supposed to ensure we get the perfect venue without a little bit of compulsion?”

Finally, Freya and Keelin made their appearance.

“Hope, you really do know how to drag us all to one place again.” Freya said. “This better be true.”

“I did the spell to confirm it myself.” Hope assured her. She looked around at them all, biting her lip. Even minus two brothers, the Mikaelson family was an intimidating lot. She hoped this would actually go well.

“I hear someone.” Rebekah said.

Hope turned to the door, just in time to hear Sam griping at Avery.

“Okay. _Okay,_ yeah, I’m going. See? I’m going right now.” He snapped, and the door opened. Sam took a tentative step inside, and then was shoved the rest of the way by Avery.

He straightened his posture a little bit, and she had never seen this usually cocky, annoying boy look so nervous.

“I’m Samael. This is Avery. My brother.” They all went around and introduced themselves. He still kept his distance, close to the door.

“We’ve met.” Rebekah said, realization hitting her. Sam nodded.

“Yeah. That day in the woods. I’d just transformed for the first time.” He scratched the back of his head and offered a wary smile.

“I couldn’t figure out why I felt like I’d seen you before.” She shook her head in disbelief, “You look so much like he did when he was young. That’s what it was.”

“Well, did your transformations get easier?” Marcel asked.

“Yes, they did.”

“If it helps, no one knew about Freya for 900 years.” Kol offered, breaking some of the awkward silence. “And she’s adjusted well to being stuck with us.” That got a laugh out of the rest of them. Hope had prepped Sam on the most important parts of her family history, so he knew a bit about what had happened with Freya. Mikaelson 101 was kind of a broad subject though. It was impossible to tell him everything in so little time. She wasn’t even sure one lifetime would be enough.

They went to dinner later and it really was the best time they’d had together since before her father and uncle had died. She had not told them all of Sam’s past. That was his story to share. But he did calm down and ease back into his normal self after a while.

“So what are your plans over the summer?” Freya asked Sam. “Because Hope was going to spend some time with each of us, and we weren’t sure if you and your brother had someone to stay with…”

“Oh, uh, no, we hadn’t really thought that far ahead.” Sam said awkwardly. It was clear where this was going, and it was clear he didn’t want to explicitly ask anyone if they could stay with them.

“Well, Hope was going to stay with us first for a few weeks.” Kol said, “You two can accompany her. I imagine you’ll want more time to get to know your sister anyway.”

“Oh, I can figure something out for myself.” Avery said quickly, “I don’t want to intru-”

“Nonsense.” Kol interrupted, “You’re no weaseling your way out of this family. Trust me, I’ve tried. It never works.”

“Yes, we’re _such_ a burden, Kol.” Rebekah rolled her eyes, “Don’t scare the boys away before they’ve even gotten to know us.”

“Oh, he’s always looking for a way to ditch me. It’s nothing new.” Sam quipped, looking more at ease just then since the entire time they’d been there. Hope could have told him herself that they would never dream of leaving out his older brother, but it was better for him to see it firsthand.


	17. You Owe Me

Avery peered over the top of his book at Rowan. Well, might as well get this out of the way. “I’m gonna need your blood.”

She nearly choked on her iced coffee. “Most guys would take me out to dinner first. What do you need it for?”

“A precaution. For the spell I want to do tonight.” He said, “You know, the one I’ve been telling you about.”

At least, he’d told her some of it.

“ _Tonight_?” she gasped, and quickly looked around the common area to see if anyone was listening. “Avery, why-”

“Why not? I know what to do. I need another witch to help me maintain the spell while I cross the barrier. Penelope Park has agreed to help.”

“Does she know what you’re risking?” Rowan asked warily. No, as far as Penelope and Josie were concerned, they were just helping him reach over to the other side. Briefly.

“Does Sam know?”

“He’ll only try to stop me.”

So would Hope. And so would their family, more than likely. He’d realized why no one had attempted this before. The spell to bring someone back required human sacrifice. Something he’d originally hoped to avoid, but it seemed inevitable now. So he would have Penelope, and maybe even Josie, perform the spell, not knowing it was going to kill him in the process. But it would be fine, because he would die with vampire blood in his system. He would come back. And Sam would get his father back.

Sam needed this. So did Hope, actually.

Later that evening, he met Rowan, Penelope, and Josie at the Old Mill. Sam was spending more time with his family. His aunt Freya was helping him develop a better understanding of having the immense power of a Mikaelson witch, which she said he probably hadn’t even unlocked fully yet. On top of that, with vampire blood in his system, his magic was always tainted with darkness. That certainly explained a lot.

“So what’re you planning, exactly?” Josie asked. He’d been reluctant to involve her, seeing as her sister was so close with Sam. But she wouldn’t let Penelope come out here alone.

“It’s super simple. I just need you two to say this spell, exactly as I’ve written it.” He explained, lighting candles and placing them strategically around old wooden floorboards. He took out chalk and drew a pentagram and placed more candles at each point.

Penelope studied it, and frowned. “This…seems like dark magic.”

They were young though. They didn’t fully understand that it was sacrificial magic. He’d never dare ask someone in his year to do this spell. They’d never agree.

He wasn’t a fan of dishonesty, but…desperate times called for desperate measures. Maybe he was more like Sam than he cared to admit sometimes. Surely everyone would forgive him when they realized what he was trying to do. If he actually succeeded.

“It’s harmless. You’ll be fine.” Not actually a lie. “I just need you to promise you’ll hold the spell until it’s done. You’ll know when it’s done. Don’t stop no matter what happens. No matter what I do.”

Rowan scrutinized him in the candlelight.

“The blood, if you don’t mind.” He reminded her.

“I still think this is insane.” She whispered, when he came closer. Penelope and Josie were busy reading the spell and memorizing it.

“I’ll be fine.” One way or another. She bit into her palm and held it up to him. Blood didn’t taste particularly good. He wondered if that would change.

He went to the backpack he’d brought with him and pulled out a long knife he’d swiped from the kitchen.

“Jesus, Avery. What the hell is that for?” Rowan asked.

“Well, the spell requires some of my blood.” Also not entirely a lie.

“And a pocket knife wouldn’t have gotten the job done?”

“Maybe I’m dramatic.” He joked. His nerves were through the roof though. This had better work. He’d spent too many hours checking and double-checking his work.

He walked back to the center of the pentagram, and confirmed that the girls knew the spell they were supposed to say.

“I’m serious. You can’t stop until it’s done.” He told them. “I don’t know what will happen if you stop before it’s done. And on my signal, recite the second part.”

He sat down in the circle, and they began to chant. He had to wait for the right moment. Their incantation would put him between the living world, and the dead. Once he located Klaus Mikaelson, he would signal for them to start the second part, and then he would kill himself.

If everything went according to plan, Klaus would materialize within the pentagram, the moment Avery was truly dead. It was a shame he was about to lose his magic. He had quite a gift for it.

It was a little bit frustrating that he would not get to know if this worked until after he woke as a vampire. Anything could go wrong. Namely, Rowan, Josie, and Penelope could absolutely freak the hell out and break the spell by accident.

“I was wondering when you and I would be able to have a chat. It’s a shame to meet you while you’re doing something absolutely idiotic.”

He turned, and saw none other than Klaus Mikaelson at the edge of the pentagram, looking at him curiously.

“It worked.” Avery whispered, actually pretty shocked. 

“Avery, what’s going on?” he heard Rowan say behind him. “Who are you talking to?”

So they could still see him, but not Klaus. And he could still see and hear them. “Don’t worry about it.”

Klaus stared at him. A hard glare that made Avery shift uncomfortably. It was a little eerie seeing that same glare he'd seen countless times on his brother's face, aged up and on an Original vampire. “I know what you’re planning. Word of advice? Don't."

“How did you know?”

“Because we’ve been here. This entire time.”  Said another voice in the darkness. Another man came up and stood beside Klaus. Avery recognized him as Elijah, from the pictures.

“We’ve been here watching you hatch this foolish plan.” Elijah glared at him. “And we’re here to tell you to _stop._ It isn’t worth your life.”

“I won’t be dying. Not really.” Avery shrugged. His hand gripped the handle of the knife tightly.

“Put it down.” Klaus commanded. “Do you really think I want to come back to life by killing my son’s brother?”

“I’ll be _fine.”_  Avery insisted.

“You have no idea if this little loophole you’re attempting to exploit will even work.” Elijah said impatiently. “You could very well not wake up, Avery. Then how will your brother cope? How will Hope?”

“Avery!” Rowan yelled. He looked back over his shoulder. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’ve got it under control.” He said to her. “Don’t let them stop the spell. Please.” He’d come much too far to let this be ruined.

He turned back to Klaus and Elijah. “I don’t have time for this. They’re going to run out of power.” He said an incantation, causing Klaus to involuntarily lurch towards him into the circle. It was at that moment that everything happened at once. He grabbed Klaus’s hand. He yelled “NOW!” to the girls performing the spell. He slammed the blade into his stomach with his free hand. Elijah rushed forward to pull Klaus away before any of this could happen. But he only managed to make contact after Avery plunged the knife into himself.

“Don’t stop the spell yet.” He rasped out to a very shocked Penelope and Josie before everything went dark. It was surprising, actually, how easy death was.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~drama~

“He didn’t tell us.” Rowan gasped, and run to Avery’s unconscious body. She shook him, perhaps a little too violently. “God. Avery, wake up.”

“Hello again, Josette.” Klaus said to the Saltzman twin who looked absolutely stunned. “Could you and your friend be so kind as to locate my children? Perhaps just tell them that Avery has encountered a bit of trouble.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Josie asked, looking at Avery. “We didn’t know. I swear we didn’t know what he was going to do. He just asked to do the spell.”

“That remains to be seen. He accidentally pulled _two_ original vampires back from the dead.” Klaus said sympathetically. “We’ll stay here with him.”

Elijah knelt beside the boy, and pulled the knife out of his stomach. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you, Niklaus. We have no idea if it was…too much. Magic doesn’t like loopholes to begin with.”

“Come on, Jojo.” Penelope, “We should find them.”

She thankfully pulled Josie along, away from the bloody scene in front of them.

“I don’t understand.” Rowan shook her head, “He said he only wanted to communicate with you. To see if he could.”

“Yes. He lied.”

“This is _your_ fault.” Rowan said furiously. “You shouldn’t have let him do this!”

“I tried to stop him!” Klaus argued defensively. “It’s not my fault he behaved stupidly.”

Still, he hoped the boy would wake. Even as a vampire. He couldn’t face his son only to tell him that his only brother was dead.

“He’s waking up.” Elijah said. He was still knelt beside Avery, monitoring him for signs of life. Rowan and Klaus stopped their arguing and turned to see Avery’s chest rise quickly, and fall.

He opened his eyes and blinked several times. “Did it work?”

“I’m _so_  mad at you-” Rowan started.

“Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson. You’re here. I did it.” Avery interrupted, looking at the two originals. He grinned weakly. “Sam’s never done anything like this. He’ll be so jealous.”

“Hardly the point.” Elijah said, and helped him sit up. “This shouldn’t have happened. The dead must stay dead.”

“No offense but, I’m familiar with your family history. You yourself have a hard time abiding by that rule.” Same joked. “I need blood though, if I’m going to complete this.”

“You have twenty four hours to realize what a stupid decision you’ve made and have your little existential crisis before you feed on human blood. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“Hey, it looks like I got through it pretty much unscathed.”

“Aside from _dying_.”

“You keep focusing on that.” Avery sighed.

* * *

 

Sam broke into a run when they reached the edge of the woods, sprinting ahead of Hope and the others.

Josie and Penelope hadn’t told them much of anything, other than the fact that something had happened and Avery was hurt badly. He didn’t have the slightest idea what to expect.

He came upon the old mill, where Avery was standing outside, looking normal as ever. Rowan sat on the steps a few feet away.

“Avery!” he screamed. His brother doubled over, holding his ears.

“Oh. Whoa. Ow. I wasn’t ready for that.” He groaned. “Everything is so loud. They said they could hear you coming so I figured I should come out. But don’t _yell_ at me, Sammy.”

Sam stopped short. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Avery said quickly, straightening again. “Really. Everything’s fine. Sorry of Josie and Penelope might have been dramatic or something. I’m fine. Better than ever, actually.”

“The sensitivity to sound is going to get better eventually.” Rowan commented. Sam looked at Avery for an explanation.

“You and Hope should come inside.”

“Inside that condemned building where you can get hurt for real?”

“It’s safe. Ro and I go out here all the time.”

“I don’t need to know what you get up to in your spare time.”

Avery looked exasperated. “ _Please_ just come in?”

Hope brushed past Sam and started into the building. “Hey. Wait for me!” Sam said hurriedly. Their whole family was there, after Sam had made a whole scene about running off to find his brother. They all followed them into the abandoned building.

Everyone was rendered speechless at the sight of the two men inside. Sam wasn’t just struck by the fact that has father and uncle were standing before him, but at how grim they looked. Something had definitely happened. Avery coughed nervously and shuffled off to the side.

“Dad…” Hope spoke first. “Uncle Elijah?”

“How are you here right now?” Rebekah asked.

Klaus pointed at Avery, who had tried to make himself a little less noticeable. “Ask that one.”

“There were repercussions for our coming back. We tried to stop him.” Elijah said apologetically.

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. He spun around to Avery and stormed toward him. “What are they talking about?”

Avery winced, holding his head. “Still so loud.”

“What have you done?”

“They’re making a big deal out of _nothing._ ” Avery said, still clutching the side of his head. “I did it to help you. Look at me, Sammy, I’m fine. I’m alive, and breathing, and…starving. But that’ll…that’ll get better. Elijah said it gets more manageable.”

“What gets more manageable?” Sam asked steadily.

“The whole…being undead, constantly craving blood, thing.”

“Oh, Avery.” Hope said. “You didn’t. I thought you were the smart one.”

Sam gave her a mildly offended look before remembering the situation at hand.

“Surprise.” Avery muttered. “And, you’re welcome.”

“I…” she struggled. The conflict was clear. How could she be happy they were back after what it had cost to get them here?

“Can we get out of this absolute death trap of a building?” Kol broke the silence. “There are too many Mikaelsons present for me not to have a drink in my hand at the moment.” Davina elbowed him sharply. “ _What_? I’m just saying there must be a better setting to process all of this in.”

“Kol is right. And really, I think this is a bit too much of an audience.” Rebekah said. She smiled at Klaus and Elijah fondly. “It is good to see you both again. Nik, I think it’s best you have a moment with your son and daughter. Elijah? Avery and Rowan? Care to come with us for a bit?”

“I can’t imagine it’s been fun spending so much time with only Nik for company.” Kol muttered.

“This isn’t over, Avery.” Sam reminded his own brother, “I have a lot more to say.”

“I’m sure you do.” He grimaced, and followed Rowan and the others. Once they’d left, Hope went to embrace her father.

“I missed you.” She said, letting the tears flow freely now. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Klaus hugged her, and looked overtop her head at Sam. “We really did try to stop him, Samael.”

“You think I’m mad at you?” Sam asked, incredulous.

“You aren’t?”

No. He was actually a little bit terrified. He’d gotten used to not really answering to anyone and in just a few short days, he’d gained a whole family who probably expected god-knows-what of him. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure just how much his father was aware of from beyond the grave.

“I’m a little more worried that I’m actually a colossal disappointment. Actually, I can almost guarantee that I am.” Sam said warily. “But, at least you’ve got her.”

Hop turned and looked to him sympathetically. He hated it.

“Sam, you’re our family too. I’m pretty sure I can speak for everyone when I say we want you to be in our lives. We want to be in your life”

“I do want to get to know you.” Klaus said, stepping forward. “If you want that.”

Sam shook his head. He couldn’t do this. Not anymore. He’d tried for the past few days to fake belonging to a real family, but this was too much. “No. You don’t. There isn’t anything good about me. Avery made a mistake. A stupid mistake.” Sam said. His voice broke. He turned and ran as fast as he could from the building, as far into the woods as his feet would carry him before he wolfed out completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually so challenging to write, I had too many characters to work with in these scenes and ended up not being able to give everyone a voice, sorry


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been using songs as titles and I've officially run out. Eventually I'll go back and re-title the chapters I've drawn a blank on.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Hope sighed. “Running away seems to be his signature move when things get difficult.”

“I can track him. Go back to the school in case he goes there.” Her dad said reassuringly.

“Dad, we have to find him, before…before…” Hope wasn’t sure she should tell him what she knew of Sam.

He grimaced. “I’ve been able to watch a lot from beyond the grave. I know what he’s capable of. We’ll get to him.”

She didn’t want to leave him already, but he’d be faster at finding Sam on his own. And maybe it would do them good to spend time one on one. There would be plenty of time for the three of them to bond later.

Hope wondered how Avery was doing. What he’d done was nothing short of insane. She’d entertained the thought of it before, but she’d never let herself look into it past finding out it would require sacrificial magic. Her aunt Freya would never approve of the use of her power in that way. If she had known what Avery was planning, she never would have allowed it. But then, that’s precisely why he didn’t tell her. Or Sam.

Two brothers who would look death straight in the eye for one another. She was not unfamiliar with how that story went. She was a little jealous she had never had the chance to have that bond with hre brother. Could they make up for the fifteen years they’d lost?

She trudged back to the school. Dr. Saltzman waited inside, and had apparently gotten wind of everything that had happened, and the fact that Josie had been involved. Just judging by the look on his face.

“I _swear_ I had no idea what they were doing. Neither did Sam.” She told him hurriedly. “Has Avery and my family come back yet? Honestly, Dr. Saltzman, I doubt Josie even understood-”

“Save it.” He said. “They’ve already explained. She’s still in trouble for agreeing to help someone _cross the boundary_ between the dead and the living.”

“Where is everyone?”

“Ah, some of them are downstairs. In the werewolf holding facility.” Alaric said, and she immediately didn’t like his tone.

“What are they doing down there?”

“Hope, there’s been a problem with Avery since they gave him blood to complete the transition.” He said, “Elijah, Kol, and Rowan are with him now but…I think he’s a ripper.”

* * *

 

He’d actually been smart this time around. He’d stripped down, transformed, and then carried his clothes in his mouth with him until he felt like he’d run far enough away from the school and everyone in it. The urge to destroy something was strong, but the fear of being caught in the act this time around was stronger.

Sam pulled his shorts on, and pulled the shirt over his head. He’d accidentally punctured a hole through the middle of the shirt with his canines. Better than running around stark naked though.

He wished he could just be a wolf full time. People don’t have very high expectations from you if you just run around on four legs and howl at the moon. The wolf side of him always resisted turning human again.

“Forty miles. Quite the distance for a young wolf.”

“It didn’t take you long to find me.”

“I’m a thousand years old, Samael.” His father replied, “I can track my own son.”

“It only took you fifteen years.” That had slipped out before he could stop it. He hadn’t meant to be so bitter. “And, just ‘Sam’ is fine.” He added as an afterthought. “I guess now I know why she named me what she did.”

“She never told me about you. I’m sure she believed she was protecting you.” Klaus leaned against a tree, studying Sam, “Truth be told, I can’t entirely blame her. I can hardly count the number of times Hope’s life has been in danger by mere association with our name.”

“I can protect myself.”

“Could you protect yourself as an infant? Or a toddler?” Klaus asked, raising his eyebrows. Sam glared back. Klaus sighed, “I met my biological father just a few years ago, actually. It doesn’t get easier knowing what you missed out on.”

“I thought I was just fine not knowing. I thought I was happier that way.”  Sam kicked some leaves on the ground, refusing to meet his father’s eyes. “All it does is bring more people for me to inevitably disappoint. Do you have any idea what an overachiever Hope is? I’ll never be like that.”

“People can change-”

“Yeah, I know, I’ve heard all about your inspirational turnaround.” Sam interrupted him. “It doesn’t help. Because I don’t even have that as an excuse to avoid facing my past. If you can do it, that means I _have_ to. And how am I supposed to get all of this rage out?” And there was so much of it sudden. He should be _happy_ right now. But from the moment they’d come back, he’d only felt anger steadily rising within him.

Klaus looked pensive for a second. “Perhaps,” he began carefully, “You could seek out more deserving targets.”

Sam couldn’t help but be intrigued.

* * *

 

“What happened?” Hope said. She’d taken the stairs two at a time, hurrying down to the basement as fast as possible.

“We gave him a blood bag. He drank it, and then he tried to attack Miss Park.” Elijah explained. There was a crash against the door of the cell, causing them all to look in that direction. The door had a small, barred window, but Hope couldn’t really bring herself to look in at him.

“Well, he’s _new_.” She argued. “It isn’t easy to control the cravings at first, everyone knows that.”

There was an angry, nearly-inhuman snarl from inside the cell.”

“Yes, but he’s been at it since we threw his ass in there.” Kol lamented. “I’ve not seen anyone so desperate to rip a few throats open since…” he trailed off and furrowed his brow.

“What?”

“When Davina brought me back from the dead,” he said slowly, “The witches from the ancestral plane sabotaged it. They made certain I killed Davina for her transgressions against them.”

“You think this is a punishment?” And as she said it, it made sense. Witches don't let things go very easily. Avery had cheated his way out of a real sacrifice, and not only that, he'd accidentally gotten two lives back. 

“I think it’s pretty unlikely to bring back two of the oldest vampires on earth back from the dead and not suffer any repercussions.” Kol said with the shake of his head, “I’m going to fetch Freya. She may be able to tell us more.”

He started up the stairs and then halfway up, he stopped and said, “For all we know, Avery might not be the only one affected.”

Hope finally gathered the courage to look through the small window. Avery sat crouched against a far wall, his vampire features fully exposed. He regarded her with empty eyes. Like he didn’t even know her.

“We’ve given him animal blood. He refuses it. But I fear human blood will only fuel the hunger. And his face…it’s been like that since we put him there." Elijah said when she finally tore her eyes away from the sight. “I believe Kol is right. The magic he did cannot possibly done without consequences.” He said guiltily.

“You can’t blame yourself for this.”

He smiled at her sadly. “That is very kind. But I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree until we rectify this without the loss of his life. I’d prefer not to be responsible for the death of yet another person our family cares about.”

She knew what was going through his mind. It really hadn’t been long at all since the death of her mother. Of course this new development would trigger those memories again. She hoped Freya would have answers.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to updating again. Went nearly a week without internet and before that, was just generally feeling uninspired. 
> 
> But I'm back and 100% fucked up from that Legacies finale!

Sam walked up to the door of the cell. He’d been denying the quiet rage boiling deep in himself for several hours now, but now it made sense. Whatever was affecting him, was affecting Avery as well. Freya and Hope were already hard at work to find a solution.

The person in the cell was barely his brother. He looked like Avery, sure. But he was hardly even a _person_ right now. There was not an ounce of humanity in his eyes.

“I want to be so angry at you right now.” Sam muttered, staring in at his brother who was now a bloodthirsty vampire, “But according to Hope, and my dad, and Freya, and everyone else, I’m supposed to stay calm so I don’t wolf out and kill someone.”

Avery didn’t respond.

“Oh? No sarcastic comeback? Well I guess that’s one benefit of this strange affliction we’ve both got.”

Avery looked back at him with emotionless eyes. Sam took a step back from the bars. It was kind of hard to stomach.

“Sam? Are you okay?” He heard Hope’s voice behind him. He hadn’t even heard her come down the stairs. He gave a curt nod.

“I’m fine. He’s the one who needs help. Whatever this is…it’s not affecting me as strongly.”

“Well, he’s the one who did the spell. And you’re a tribrid, Sam. You’re strong enough to resist whatever this is for a while. And you’re not a full vampire, so there’s not bloodlust factoring into it.”

“He’s an idiot, is what he is. Did you find anything yet?”

“There are witches on the other side who don’t like what he did.” She said, “Uncle Kol was right about that. He’s being punished. We might be able to get the twins to siphon the curse out. They want to try it with you first since you’re less likely to rip anyone’s throat out right now.”

“I can’t just leave him down here.”

“It won’t take long.”

He cast one last look at the door and followed her upstairs. The twins were waiting in the main lobby, along with Freya, and Kol’s wife, Davina. He smiled weakly at them. Josie was the first to rush forward though. “He never told Penelope and me what he was planning to do.” She said in a distraught tone. We didn’t know it would cause all of this.”

“It’s fine. Really.” He assured her. “Just…siphon the evil out of us both or whatever, and we’ll call it even.”

“Pretty sure you’re still stuck with that, even without this stupid curse.” Lizzie said with a slight smirk. Freya  and Davina walked over, and freya carried a pendant.

“They’re going to siphon the curse from you and trap it in this pendant. It’s strong magic, but it’s nothing compared to what we dealt with when we fought the Hollow. I think it can actually be contained. Then, we just have to put this behind lock and key so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“We can’t just destroy it?”

“I don’t want to run the risk of facing any consequences from destroying the vessel it’s contained in.” Freya explained, “It’s enough magic to kill a normal, living person. The pendant has been reinforced, and this curse isn’t _alive_ in the same way that the Hollow was. But it’s still deadly.”

Lizzie and Josie began to chant, focusing their attention on Sam. Slowly, he felt the rage dissipate. He watched as they drew out the magic, forming a white-hot glowing orb in the air, and then began slowly placing it into the pendant.

Whatever was happening, it wasn’t an easy process. The pendant rattled around violently, so much so that Sam thought it might break several times as it was tossed about on the table, but it finally settled as the last bit of magic was shoved in. He moved to pick it up and Freya quickly stepped over and grabbed his arm.

“Don’t touch it.” She warned. “None of our family should come into contact with it, and neither should Avery. It’ll seek you out.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“The curse is naturally attached to you, and the rest of the family by proxy. It’ll try to latch on the moment it gets a chance.”

“I don’t think the pendant can hold much more.” Josie said. “It felt like it was going to break towards the end.”

“I think she’s right.” Davina said. “We’d better not risk it. Can we make another?”

“It’ll take a little more time…but yes.”

Sam wanted to tell her to get moving then, but she _did_ happen to be his aunt. He bit his tongue.

“I’m going back downstairs.” He said, turning to leave. Hope blocked his exit.

“There’s nothing you can do for him right now, Sam.”

Sam scowled. “He’s alone.”

“He barely even realizes he’s alone. Your brother isn’t in there right now.”

“Okay, fine, so what are your brilliant suggestions as to what I should do in the meantime?” he snapped. Sister or not, he was tired of everyone trying to reason with him right now.

“Maybe give your family a chance to support you right now while we’re waiting.”

She’d meant it completely harmlessly, and he knew that. He knew he should just Agree with her and let it go. But he could never let any damn thing go in his life. “And who’s going to be there for him? Because as far as I’m concerned, my family is sitting downstairs in a cell right now, completely out of his mind. And he’s  alone. And He’s been there for me a million times and once again I’m failing to be there for him.”

“Sam, you know we want him to be part of this family too.”

“Really? Because no one is down there with him right now.”

Sam stormed off, making his way through the halls to the door of the basement once again. He made a rather dramatic point of stomping on the steps as he went. It was a foolish argument, and completely pointless. But the guilt due to Avery doing all of this for Sam’s own benefit was weighing heavily on him. He had to unload it somewhere. He was just a little bit sorry he’d picked his sister to lash out at.

He rounded the corner and found Elijah Mikaelson leaned against a wall, staring intently at the door to the cell on the opposite side of the corridor. Okay, so it appeared he’d been wrong about no one being there for Avery.

“What are you doing?” he asked Elijah.

“Your sister charged me with seeing him through his transition. Once this issue is sorted out.”

“Rowan and I can see to it.”

“Rowan has been a vampire for a year or so. You have no experience whatsoever. What’s the phrase? The blind leading the blind?” he smiled, “I think he may need a little more assistance.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Your brother brought me back to from the dead.” Elijah said, clearly cutting right to the point. “I would be remiss if I did not at least attempt to be useful.”

“Neither of us are charity cases.” Sam said after struggling for a moment to come up with a rebuttal.

“You really are a difficult one to argue with, aren’t you?” he said. Elijah seemed more amused than annoyed.

“Yeah. People say that.” Way too often.

There was a violent slam against the wall of the cell. Apparently Avery was getting antsy. He needed blood. He was probably going crazy without it. Well, crazier than he already was at the moment.

Or maybe Avery was still in there somewhere.

“Say that again. The thing about me being difficult.” Sam said with sudden interest.

Elijah could obviously see where he was going with this. “I think it’s safe to say, from what we’ve observed of you, you’re just as stubborn and unreasonable as your father at times.”

There was another slam against the door of the cell.

Sam smiled, feeling a little more confident that things would soon be okay. “They were wrong.” He whispered. “He’s still in there. He’s never liked it when other people say things about me.”

He pressed his hand against the door. “We’re gonna get you back soon.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates on this and my other works. I wasn't in the best headspace for the past month or so? Anyway. I'm wrapping this up but I do plan to write a sequel. I just felt like I'd reached a stopping point.

Klaus and Elijah readied themselves outside the door of the cell, prepared to open the door on Freya’s signal. They would have to catch and keep hold of Avery while the curse was siphoned out of him and into the amulet that Freya had created to hold it.

“Are you sure this won’t hurt him?” Sam asked. Avery had always been the smarter one, the more careful one, the one people really should be worried about if they knew what was good for them. Sam had unbridled anger and bursts of uncontrollable power. Avery had the knowledge and talent to channel his power into something terrifying if he wanted. Sam knew this, as he had always pestered Avery to be his back up in the past. But Sam wasn’t interested in things like that

He’d become the evil he’d always tried to ward off.

Sam had always played at being the more powerful of the two brothers. And Avery had let him. Sam was no fool. He knew exactly what it was. Now that he was the only one who still possessed his magic, things would be different now. He might actually have to prove himself to others now.

“Now.” Freya said, and Sam snapped out of his thoughts. The door clicked open and there was a blur of movement before Klaus and Elijah caught Avery, each grasping an arm tightly. The twins were close by and stepped forward. Sam lurched forward involuntarily, unwilling to see his best friend/love-of-his-life or her sister harmed.

But Avery seemed well-restrained as the girls siphoned the curse out of him and then transferred it to the amulet. Once the last of it was out, he promptly lost consciousness and slumped forward. Freya put the amulet in a box, and locked it. She said she would take it back to New Orleans with her to keep it and the other amulet guarded.

Avery was carried upstairs to his room, where they placed him in his bed. There, Sam waited, and paced, and ground his teeth in anxiety.

Rowan was there too. Sam had made everyone else leave the room, but he felt maybe his brother needed to see at least one friendly face when he woke.

“Would you stop?” she muttered, “You’re giving me a headache.”

“What if it didn’t work?”

“Of course it did.”

“He’s taking too long. He needs to wake up.” Sam said as he paced.

“God, do you ever just stop.” He heard Avery mutter behind him. Sam let out the breath he’d been holding, and rushed to his brother’s side.

“Are you feeling okay? You don’t want to rip my throat out or anything, do you?”

“You’re being weird.”

“You were basically _possessed._ ” Sam snapped. “Sorry for being concerned.”

He wasn’t actually mad though. His brother was back to normal again, the bickering was an excellent indicator of that. After a few minutes he left Avery to be dramatic with his girlfriend and went downstairs to report the news. His new family had truly banded together to help save his brother. He didn’t know how to thank them for that.

There was a lot of hugging. His dignity was not spared in that regard.

* * *

 

It wasn’t long before things returned to normal, for the most part, and they found themselves just days away from summer break. The plan was for Sam and his siblings to take a flight to New Orleans, to stay in the Mikaelson family home over the summer.

Sam felt anxious about it. He’d grown to like this school. He’d gotten used to not having to answer to anyone else. Now suddenly he had this whole family and it was all just a little much. They wanted to know about his grades, and what his future plans were, and all of this other nonsense that no one else really bothered him about before. He had a sister now who was proving to be just as annoying as his brother, maybe even more so.

“A C- in history? Sam are you even trying?” Hope said, snatching up his report card. He tried to wrestle it back from her but she cast a spell that sent him flying across the room. Now that Hope, Sam, and Avery had knowledge of each other’s relative indestructibility, they had no qualms about resorting to physical violence whenever the need occurred. Which was…often.

And Sam was really only barely a match for Hope in terms of power. He had plenty of power as a tribrid, sure, but she was the first-born. She got the majority of it. He tried not to show that he was jealous.

“I’m still catching up. I spent two years in the woods hiding from a coven, may I remind you.” He grumbled, blushing as she studied the rest of his grades. She finally handed the paper back.

“Are you…you’re actually embarrassed?” she asked, shocked.

Sam sighed. “I’m not…I’m not an idiot, just so you know. I just figured…no parental figures, no one to really care about what I do in school. This was supposed to be a _game_ , you know. I had no intention of taking this place seriously. And then all of this stuff happened, and now you’re my sister and now I have a family and they’re all gonna know I _suck_ at memorizing stupid dates, and names, and places.”

“Sam…”

“Don’t.”

Hope looked at the paper, frowned, and whispered, “Incendia.”

The page burst into flames, and Sam watched in fascination as the ashes floated to the ground. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“Next year, I want you to make an effort.” She said decisively, and then added with a smirk, “I mean it. As your _older_ sister.”

“Stop it right now.”

Hope grinned. “I really do mean it though. Forget about this year. We’re starting over.”

Sam shook his head in disbelief. Having a family again was already going to make him go soft.

* * *

 

On the plane ride he found a note from Lizzie that had somehow made it into his carry-on bag detailing a very strict phone call schedule that he had better follow or suffer consequences.

Hope and Avery couldn’t stop laughing.

* * *

 

“Your bedrooms are in the same hall as Hope’s.” Rebekah explained hastily while they carried their bags of literally every worldly possession they had up the grand staircase. “I’ve had the décor updated but basically left a blank slate. I assumed you’d want to do most of your own decorating.” She made a face. “Not that either of you likely have any eye for interior design.”

They got settled in their rooms, parting ways for a few hours. After a while, Sam went to find Avery but the room was empty. He tracked down Hope downstairs instead. “Where’s my vampire brother gotten off to?”

“Somewhere with Elijah.” She said dismissively. “Don’t worry. Elijah just wants to make sure Avery has a handle on the whole vampire thing.”

“Where’s…” he hesitated. Dad? No, it didn’t feel right just yet. “Klaus?”

If she noticed his apprehension, she did an excellent job concealing it. “I think…I think we make him nervous.” She admitted. “He’d barely had any contact with me for years before he died. And, he doesn’t really know you yet. Now we’re all under one roof.”

“He’s not the only one who’s nervous.” There was a little more bitterness in his tone than he intended.

“This family is so dramatic.” She muttered under her breath.

* * *

 

New Orleans was theirs. Though Klaus did not quite rule it with the iron fist he once had.

Sam’s violent urges became controlled, finally, after much time and effort was put in. He’d had some slip-ups, but Klaus had made good on his promise to find a viable solution. There were plenty of unsavory people he could take his anger out on. Eventually, it no longer became necessary, which was good because the rest of the family could only condone his actions for so long.

Sam felt he would always be comparing himself to his older, slightly more powerful sister. Thank god Avery was no longer a witch so he only had one person to compete with in that regard. But it was fine. He was still a wolf, like his father. Being a prodigy with magic was not necessary in being part of the Mikaelson family.

As it turned out, being a Mikaelson by blood wasn’t completely necessary either. Avery had been welcomed right in, though Elijah became his mentor far more than Klaus. It made sense that it would work out that way.

Sam sat in the courtyard, the night after his sixteenth birthday, and listened to the sounds of his family inside the house. If he focused, he could hear quite a bit. Not quite as well as a vampire, but well enough. He waited, impatiently, for his siblings to join him outside. Finally, they came out and greeted him.

“What was so urgent that you nearly lit my pants pocket on fire sending that note?”

“Oh.” Sam said sheepishly to Avery, “Sorry.”

“What did you want, Sam?”

“I finally decided what I want for my birthday.” He said, hopping off the table he’d been perched on. They both raised their brows.

“Too late. That was yesterday-”

“Dad and our aunts and uncles spent years arguing and fighting.” Sam interrupted Hope. “Promise me we’ll always be family. Like, not just half-siblings or whatever you and Avery would be. We’re family.”

“Of course. That goes without saying.” Avery shrugged.

“Say it anyway.” Sam demanded. “Always and forever?”

Avery rolled his eyes but nodded. “Always and forever.” He said with a slight smile.

“Always and forever.” Hope agreed. “Now come on. Stop worrying and come back inside.”


End file.
